Love Remembers
by Hopeless-Romantic-Daydreamer
Summary: A completely AU story.  Rossi/OC and Hotch/OC.  Two women, close friends and cousin of Penelope Garcia, are moving from a small town to D.C.  They'll meet and befriend out wonderful BAU team.. what else happens?  You'll have to read to find out.NOT SLASH
1. Small Town, Big Dreams

_**A/N: Hello my darlings! Nicole here with another new story… looks at my list, yea I gotta get some done I know, but this is one that I've come up with, with my pal MissAmieB! Yay Amie! So this is her gift from me, for being so patient and helping me out through a lot of stuff. **_

_**Thanks! ILY! **_

_**Anyhow a little bit about the story… IT IS 100% AU AND PRETTY SURE IT'S 100% ORIGINAL! Rossi/OC and Hotch/OC. This first chapter will be an introduction to the OCs and the background. Next chapter will introduce our handsome super agents!**_

_**Anyhow… onwards and upwards! A new story awaits!**_

_**Love always Nicole**_

_**Dedicated to MissAmieB!**_

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**Calais, Maine**

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"Hey! Anyone home?" A chipper, perky voice came from the doorway.

"In here Pen!" A bubbly voice answered.

Penelope Garcia stepped through the entryway. The home she had just entered was that of her cousin, Mackenzie Lambert and Mackenzie's roommate, and best friend, Aislynn Carmichael. The house was covered in vibrant colors and photographs of different locations across the U.S. along with some movie posters and paintings. It was definitely something like she would have herself.

"Mac? You in here?" Pen shouted, seeing that her cousin wasn't in the main area.

"Upstairs." Came the reply. Pen assumed it was Aislynn.

Pen walked around the stacks of boxes that currently littered the living room floor. She made her way up to the second story of the tiny house. There stood her cousin, and a beautiful, tall brunette in a pair of torn jeans and an old Bon Jovi tee.

"Pen!" Mac shouted, throwing herself at her favorite cousin.

"Hey Mac!" Pen hugged the petite woman. "Let me look at you!"

Mac took a couple steps back, and spun around. She stood at 5'5". She was very toned, and had a darker complexion than Pen. Her hair was black with reddish purple streaks in it. It was currently halfway down her back, in loose curls, held back but a Jason Aldean bandana. Her mint green eyes sparkled behind her glasses.

"What's that?" Pen pointed to her right ear, then. "What's that?" Pointing now to Mac's revealed hip.

Mac was wearing a tight jean mini skirt and a red silk tube top that just covered her bosom and that was it. "What's what Pen?"

"That thing in your ear! And what's that on your hip and your back?" Pen gaped. She was used to seeing her younger cousin in a school uniform. "Does Uncle Eric know about all of this?"

"The thing in my ear is a piercing Pen, I have two on each lobe and the helix of my right ear. Yes Daddy know about those, and the tattoos are my Gemini sign on the hip, the other one is the cross I had done after Grandpa passed away."

Pen looked at her. "What happened to my little innocent gumdrop?"

"She grew up." Aislynn walked up and extended her hand. "Aislynn Carmichael. I know all about you, and that you're very protective of her."

"You corrupted my gumdrop?" Pen asked as she shook Aislynn's hand.

"Not all me. She wanted a little bit more freedom, I just went with her."

"And yes, Pen, Daddy knows about the tats too." Mac finished. She went back to putting the DVDs in her hand, into the closest box, then taped it shut.

"So what's with all the boxes?" Penelope asked again.

Aislynn, the brunette with soft chocolate eyes, and a couple tattoos of her own, along with a lower lip piercing replied. "We're moving."

"Thanks Captain Obvious." Mac snickered.

Pen looked between the two women. "Why? I thought you two liked it here in Calais?"

"Pen, can we talk, privately?" Mac asked looking to Aislynn.

Pen nodded. "Sure thing, gumdrop."

Mac led the way out the door to what used to be her bedroom. Once they were in, she closed the door. Pen was worried, the last time Mac was like this was when they were a lot younger and Mac's mom walked out on her dad, her brother and her. Mac had been about 4 at that time. Time sure flew considering Mac was now 24 years old.

"What's up?" Pen took a seat on the bed.

Mac sat next to her. "We're moving for a few reasons. The first and biggest one is because of Aislynn's ex. He turned psycho a few months back, and since then he hasn't left either of us alone. He's constantly calling, or messaging us, or he shows up at our work. It's gotten to be too much, so we changed everything. And now our last step is leaving him and Calais in the rearview, permanently."

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" Pen asked carefully.

"Because I needed your help to find a place in D.C. We hadn't chosen where we'd go until now. We actually bought a little boutique to start a business and start fresh."

"Well, that's a good thing right?"

Mac nodded. "The next point was that… and the last point is, I can't take living in the small town atmosphere anymore. I can't that everyone knows everything about me and my family. I can't stand how everyone judges us because of what mom did." The word mom was spat out in anger.

Pen hugged her younger cousin.

"It's been hard Pen." Mac leaned into her cousin.

Pen smiled. "Well, I'm here to help. When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." Mac sighed. "But we're having a hard time getting a moving crew out here."

Pen grinned. "Let me work my magic and then you'll have a moving crew."

Mac was curious as to how Pen could get a moving crew, they had been trying for days and gotten nowhere. "Okay, well, I have to finish packing." Mac got up and was about to leave, when Pen grabbed her arm.

"Gumdrop, I'll call them now, then come help you finish packing, the more we are the faster it'll get done."

Mac hugged Penelope again and went back to finish helping Aislynn pack her stuff. Once they were done the bedrooms, only the kitchen and family room were left. Penelope hit her speed dial and after a quick explanation, had a few people on the way to be able to get her cousin and friend out of Calais and safely to D.C.

They had just finished tackling the bedrooms and family room when they realized they were out of boxes for the kitchen stuff.

"I'll go get it." Mac said. "You should probably stay out of town."

Aislynn nodded. "I'm gonna finish labeling these boxes and get the kitchen stuff ready to pack. Once we're done that, we'll crash so that we can just throw the sleeping bags into the car and hit the road tomorrow."

Pen had gone to meet her friends that were coming to help them move. Mac took the keys to the Charger and headed out. She wanted to go in, and leave quick because she didn't want to risk having the jerk find her and have him know that Aislynn was alone at home. She was delayed in getting the boxes and when she got home, she knew something was wrong. She could sense it. She ran out of the car, left it running and ran to check on Aislynn. She walked in the door to hear a scuffle from the upper level.

"AISLYNN!" She shouted.

"Get off me!" Came a muffled shout.

Mac ran up the stairs. Aislynn was swinging and kicking at a hooded figured. As Aislynn's left foot came in contact with his head, the hood fell back and revealed the Seth, Aislynn's ex. Mac did a flying tackle at the intruder.

"Get out of our house!" they screamed at him.

Both women sprung at him. Mac wrapped her arms around his neck and tried choking him. Seth grabbed Mac's arm and yanked on it, swinging her to the ground. Suddenly the room was filled with shouts as two masculine voices over came their shouts. "FBI! Put your hands up."

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_**A/N: Well that is the first chapter of many to come! I hope you all enjoyed it. Please read and review! I'll try to update it again this weekend!**_

_**Love always! **_

_**Nicole**_


	2. At The Beginning

**A/N: Hello! Thanks to those who have reviewed this story so far! YAY! I love them by the way and because of them, we get this new chapter.**

**A brief note: This story is taking place slightly before Season 1, and will meld along season 1, only won't go into details of the cases, but focus along what happens in the lives of our characters before and after each case. Still AU in it's own special way. Aislynn is 28, and Mac is, as mentioned last chapter, 24. Mac is Pen's cousin, and Aislynn is the sister Mac didn't have.**

**Anyhow… enough chit chat… on to the story… Still dedicated to MissAmieB.**

**Love always**

**Nicole

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_Both women sprung at him. Mac wrapped her arms around his neck and tried choking him. Seth grabbed Mac's arm and yanked on it, swinging her to the ground. Suddenly the room was filled with shouts as two masculine voices over came their shouts. "FBI! Put your hands up."

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Mac was on the floor clutching her shoulder. Aislynn was still fighting against Seth's seemingly inhuman strength. He grabbed at her throat when a gunshot echoed through the room, and then screams of agony followed. Aislynn fell to the ground gasping. She crawled towards Mac, as two tall figures dove at Seth. Both girls ears were ringing from the gunshot in the enclosed space, but they could hear a scuffle and finally handcuffs clicking.

"Mac?" Aislynn asked her best friend.

"Aislynn, you okay?" Mac replied with another question. Her shoulder was killing her but she was more worried about the woman who was like her older sister than anything.

"I've been better." Aislynn hugged Mac.

Mac exclaimed as her shoulder was nudged ever so slightly.

"Mac? What's wrong?"

Mac grimaced. "Shoulder. Dislocated." She could barely get those two words out. It hurt so much.

The lights flicked on and they were temporarily blinded. Suddenly Pen's panicked voice filled the room. "Oh my God! Mac!" Pen ran to her cousin. "What happened?"

"She thinks her shoulder is dislocated." Aislynn replied, worry was filling her voice. "I'm sorry Mac. It's my fault."

Mac shook her head. "No it's not. It's that asshole's fault." She looked around her. "By the way where is he and who were those guys?"

Aislynn nodded. "Yeah. Who are they and why are the FBI here in our home?"

A deep masculine voice answered. "Because Penelope called us."

They all turned. Two men now stood in their room. One was an African-American, tall, very handsome, and built. Aislynn swore he must work out daily to keep that body. The other was a little taller, Caucasian, with dark brown hair, Mac would actually call it black, very handsome with chiseled features and his eyes were a dark chocolate color. He too had a very nice body.

Penelope introduced them. "Mac, Aislynn, my pleasure to introduce to you, my chocolate God, Derek Morgan, and my very debonair boss, Aaron Hotchner."

Both girls smiled. Both men returned the smiles.

The one Pen introduced as Aaron asked. "What's wrong with you shoulder?"

"Hotch, I think it's dislocated." Pen answered.

Mac nodded. Hotch called down the stairs. "Hold that bus. We got an injured civilian."

There was a ruckus downstairs and suddenly two paramedics were in the already very crowded room. They assessed both girls and said that both should be brought in to be checked out, and that Mac had definitely dislocated her shoulder. They helped both girls down the stairs and into the ambulance. Seth was sitting in a squad car bitching and yelling at them. They just tuned it out. This time he was going away, and they would be long gone before he ever got out. Hotch agreed to drive the girls' Charger to the hospital, while Morgan and Pen would follow in his Denali.

It didn't take them very long to get checked out. Mac was sent straight to x-ray while Aislynn got a couple stiches in her lip and checked for a concussion. Surprisingly, despite the fact that they had fought to stay alive, they escaped relatively unscathed. Once Mac was back, the two were put into a shared room for a night of observation. The doctors medicated Mac and reset her shoulder. Soon they were all settled in for the night, and Pen, Derek and Aaron came in to talk to them. Once the questioning was done, Morgan went to submit the reports to the Calais P.D. and left Pen and Aaron to keep them company. Pen fussed over them like a mother hen, causing both girls to laugh, which in turn caused a little bit of pain because of bruises and such, but it was a good pain.

Aaron felt an attraction to the youngest of the two. He had just ended it with Hailey. Despite being high school sweethearts, she didn't want the same things he did. She didn't want to get married or have a family. That was something Aaron wanted, so he had told her it was over. Luckily he had never popped the question to her. He shook his head. That was last year. This was now, and for some reason, Mackenzie Lambert, had caught his eye, and he wasn't letting her out of his sight if he could help it. Maybe he'd talk to Penelope and see what information he could get. The main point of was she involved with someone here. He knew the jist of why Mac and Aislynn were moving. They had just arrested part of the problem, the rest was that they wanted out of the small town, and he didn't blame them. So he decided to sit and observe and hope that maybe Fate was smiling on him for once.

Aislynn hated the drugs they had given her. They made her feel half dead. But she was alive and Seth was gone. She was so thankful for that. She sighed. D.C. would be a new start for her. She had brought up by a single mom, making her tougher than most. Her "dad" had run before the stick showed the two tiny pink lines. Her mom had told her that she told him she suspected she was pregnant and he told her to do the test and he'd wait outside the door. When she opened the door to tell him, he was gone. So she had Aislynn on her own. She was the best mom possible and Aislynn swore she got her will and determination from her. Another time, Aislynn had come home upset over not having a dad, her mother told her what her name meant.

"_Aislynn is dream in Gaelic." Her mother smiled. "I chose it because, despite my life being a nightmare, you came in and turned it into a perfect dream."_

Aislynn had smiled at that, and realized she was probably better off without a dad if he was the man her mother told her he was. She laid back. It was around that time that she had met Mac. Mac was from a single parent household too, and the two became inseparable. Sometimes they wondered what it would've been like if their parents had gotten married, since Mac and her older brother was raised by her dad. They used to laugh and think about it all the time, but in the end they realized that friends are the family God forgot to give you. They were more than just best friends, they were sister, even if biology said they weren't. She finally decided to go to sleep, so she dozed off, her sister in the next bed. No matter what, nothing would ever tear them apart.

Mac was sore and the doctors insisted on giving her morphine. This was a bad thing for her, an amusing thing for anyone around her. She had had morphine one time before this, and it sent her to lala land. Aaron and Penelope were talking to her just as the effects of the medicine kicked in. She started giggling non-stop and then the best part came.

"Bunny!" she exclaimed pointing to a very obvious empty spot on her bed.

Hotch looked to Penelope. "Is she okay?"

Pen shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know. "What bunny gumdrop?" She asked. She was concerned that maybe she had a concussion too.

Mac grabbed the bunny she was seeing, and began petting it. "This bunny."

Pen went to get the doctor while Aaron tried to keep Mac entertained. He didn't think it would be go if she accidentally woke Aislynn up with her antics. "Where did the bunny come from?" He asked. He felt silly playing into this, but if it made her calm, then so be it. He did it with the psychos he worked with on a daily basis.

"I don't know really. One minute the bed had just me in it, next bunny was there."

So while waiting for Garcia to come back and hopefully have the doctor give them an answer, Hotch talked to her about the bunny and other things. She was probably hallucinating but who knew. Drugs, of any variety, all had a different effect on individual people. The doctor came in a few moments later, and after a couple tests announced that it was just a slight consequence of the medication and that it would be better once they had her off the morphine.

"Good point for y'all… At least you know she isn't a drug addict." The doctor laughed as he walked out of the room to inform the nurses to change her medication.

Pen shook her head, Hotch laughed and Mac just stared at them in a daze.

Eventually Mac fell asleep, and that was when Hotch escorted Pen out of the room. "Penelope, why don't you go get some rest. Morgan'll be back soon."

"I can stay Hotch. She's my cousin."

"I know, but you've been up since when?"

"Yesterday." She answered after looking at her watch.

Hotch nodded. "Then go get some sleep."

"But what if she wakes up?"

"I'll stay. I'm pretty sure that an FBI agent in the room will keep both of them calm."

"Are you sure, sir?"

Hotch laughed. "Don't sir me, and go. Derek's downstairs waiting for you. Come back first thing in the morning."

"Okay. Thanks Hotch." With that Penelope went to main level and went with Derek to the hotel and they slept. They had arranged for a moving van to be at the house for nine that morning, so they didn't sleep long, but they got some sleep. They told the movers what to do, and Pen took the Denali to the hospital, leaving Derek to oversee the rest of the loading.

When she arrived, the nurses were helping the girls get dressed, so Hotch was outside the room.

"How are they?" She asked.

He smiled. "Fine. They want out of here so bad that they were buzzing the nurses station at 6 this morning."

Pen snickered. "They are impatient."

Hotch did a face palm. "Understatement, Penelope, major understatement."

"Something up boss man?" She cocked her head to the side.

He told her no. She believed him, about as much as she could throw him, which wasn't very far. She just nodded her head and went in to check on them. He wasn't revealing his hand that fast.

Not ten minutes later, the three women exited the room, prescriptions and other papers in hand. Mac was going to be in a sling for a couple weeks, putting her on the "gimped" scale for her job as a photographer. Good thing that their business wasn't going to be up and running for at least a month. Hotch drove the Charger again, following behind Penelope who had Aislynn in the backseat, lying down to ease the throbbing in her head, while Mac sat in the passenger seat of her car. She and Hotch chatted for a while then she dozed off again, most likely because of the second dose of painkillers she had been given before being discharged. Soon they were at the house, and Mac woke up and started apologizing.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Hotch asked.

Mac flushed red. "Because you probably think I'm a complete douche for just passing out like that."

Hotch snickered a little. "No. Don't worry about it. I know those meds knock you out. Plus you need sleep."

Mac turned a deeper shade of cherry. They got out of the car. Aislynn was still asleep but she looked peaceful so they decided against waking her. Mac handed them the address for the house that Aislynn and her had bought, with a little help from their parents. Derek took over driving the Denali, and took the lead, Hotch and Mac followed, the movers taking the rear. They were on their way now. They left Maine in their rearviews, and headed to a bigger and brighter future in Washington D.C.

The trip didn't take that long, and soon they were home. Morgan, Pen and Hotch volunteered to unpack, allowing the two girls to rest. The rested, with much protest, mainly because they didn't want to be a burden to anyone. They lost that argument, and crashed on the futon as soon as it was bought in and put in the spot they wanted it. Once everything was unpacked, the others left a note saying they'd be back the next day to help show them around, and they headed home. Pen and Derek to their brownstone to talk about the future, and Hotch to his apartment to think about Mac and if they could have a future together. The girls dreamt peacefully. Mac about the freedom she had just gained and Aislynn dreamt of a man she'd never seen before, he was familiar yet in the shadows. Who was her mystery man? She had no idea, but she felt that if she ever met him, she'd know it in a heartbeat.

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**A/N: Well, that went a little better this time around. Thanks to my professor who was ranting about Mel Gibson this morning for giving me the inspiration to tune him out and write for a bestie! So, click the little button and let me know what you think! I love all reviews, and always love your input. **

**To Amie, I hope you enjoyed my brief lapse in sanity with the bunny part.**

**To all of you, that has happened to me, and yes I see bunnies when given morphine. Moral of the story… drugs are bad.**

**Anyhow… until next time!**

**Love always, **

**Nicole**


	3. Just A Dream

_**A/N: Well, finally we're in D.C., this means more interesting events! Now, a little less on the team, more on Aislynn and Mac… you'll get it once you read it! Anyhow… I still don't own CM because if I did, we'd still have JJ and Emily and there'd be a few different things going on, anyhow… enough rambling… onto Chapter 3.**_

_**Still dedicated to MissAmieB**_

_**Love Always **_

_**Nicole

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Aislynn woke up with a killer headache. "Ow." She moaned. She looked around. She barely remembered what happened over the last couple days. She got up and looked around. That was when she remembered she wasn't in Calais anymore. She eased herself off the futon and wandered around their new house until she found the bathroom. She looked in the mirror. She had a black eye and her nose hurt. She opened the medicine cabinet, and was shocked to find it fully stocked. She grabbed a couple Advil and took them with a glass of water. She then splashed cold water on her face and woke up completely. She went back into the living room to see Mac still asleep on the futon. She giggled at the memories of their sleepovers as children. They used to always sleep on the same bed, and last night, they did it again, though she was pretty sure, it wasn't by their choice. She figured now would be a good time to take the full tour.

She walked into the kitchen and smiled. It was like a little country kitchen. The cupboards were painted white, with sunflowers along the bottom border. There was a gas stove, something she didn't really expect to see in the middle of the nation's capital. There was a fridge and freezer. Both were white. The table was a glass table with robin egg colored chairs. It reminded her of the cottage at the lake where Mac and her spent many summers. She made her way to the bedrooms. Hers was filled with NASCAR posters along with her classic 80's music posters. She knew Pen was behind this, and she'd thank her when she saw her next. The room was painted a pale green with ivory trim. She then found the other two bathrooms. They each had one, as well as the main floor's bathroom. She grinned seeing the old-fashioned claw foot tubs in each of their bathrooms. They had two guest rooms, but they weren't furnished yet. Then the living room was fully furnished. The TV stand had a note.

"_Mac and Aislynn._

_ I'll come by later with Pen to set up your satellite and sound system. If you need anything give us a call._

_Derek and Penelope"_

Well, this would be very interesting. She hadn't had many friends like Mac back home, and she had a feeling that she'd have more friends like her here. She was happy about that. She figured she'd call her mom in a bit. She wanted to check out the basement and Mac's room before doing that. The basement was neatly organized as storage, and there was there was their gym equipment down there too. There was a hook in the ceiling with another note from Derek and Hotch. This one said that they were going to be back later on with a couple punching bags and if they wanted, they'd teach them some self-defense. She headed back upstairs to check on Mac. She was still out like a light. She found Mac's room. It was at the opposite end of the hall as hers. Mac's room was painted an orchid color with black and ivory trim. Her walls had samples of her photography and some of her paintings on the walls. There were also a couple posters of Jason Aldean, Emerson Drive and Keith Urban. Neither of their beds was made yet, probably because Pen couldn't figure which bedding with which girl. That was okay for Aislynn. She felt a little bad that they had been asleep while the others did their work. She went to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, expecting it to be empty, but instead found the essentials, with another note. This one was from Penelope.

"_Gumdrops, _

_ I figured you'd need some food before we get here tomorrow, so here's the bare necessities to survive until the cavalry arrives tomorrow to take you grocery shopping. Love you! _

_Penelope"_

"Oh my God!" Aislynn exclaimed, stubbing her toe on the fridge as she shut it.

"Aislynn! What happened!" Mac bolted up from the futon and dashed to the kitchen.

Aislynn was now laughing the pain away. "Nothing serious. I'm not being attacked, well except for the fridge decided to beat my toe up."

"Jesus! You scared the shit out of my woman." Mac sighed, then groaned. Her shoulder was a little sore.

"You okay Mac?"

Mac just nodded. "I really would like to kick that bastard's ass for this."

Aislynn handed her a glass of water with two of the pain pills that her doctor had prescribed her in Calais. Mac took them gratefully and swallowed them.

"Thanks Aislynn."

"No problem Hun." She said. "Mac, when you came for the tour of this place, what made you choose it out of all the others?"

"Other than the price?" Mac grinned. "It reminded me of the cottage."

"That's what I thought."

"Well, what do you think of it?" Mac asked again. "I take you already did the grand tour while I was out like a light."

Aislynn laughed and nodded. "Yep, and your cousin and those two G Men unpacked everything and put it in the right place. They even left us notes. She handed Mac the three notes.

Mac read them and snickered. "That sounds like something Pen would do."

"She couldn't figure out the bedding though." Aislynn pointed out.

Mac shook her head. "They aren't that similar. Yours is the one with black and white and mines the bright turquoise with pink and yellow."

"Yeah, well I think they were tired by the end of all of it in the end." Aislynn pointed out.

Mac nodded. "Probably. I wonder when Pen will show up with her cavalry."

They didn't have to wait too long to find out because Penelope's voice came from the doorway. "Knock knock! You two up yet?"

"In the kitchen, Pen." Aislynn shouted, regretting it two seconds later because both she and Mac winced.

Penelope bounded into the kitchen. Neither Mac nor Aislynn understood how that woman could be so perky this early in the morning.

"Pen?" Aislynn asked.

"Yeah?"

Mac finished. "How are you so perky this early in the morning?"

"Well, two reasons." Pen smirked. "One, I'm always perky and…"

"Two…" Derek Morgan's voice came from the entryway, strained. "It ain't morning."

Aislynn and Mac ran to see what on earth he was doing, and he was hauling in one of the punching bags he promised. He put it down and smiled. "It's noon." He said.

"Oh." Mac said.

"Wait, we've been out that long?" Aislynn asked.

Pen poked her head out of the kitchen. "You two have been out basically since we left Calais. We're glad to see you up and about."

Mac shook her head. "Pen you've always been a mother hen."

Pen gasped. "I have not." Morgan turned away to snicker. Pen playfully smacked him then turned back to the girls. "So grocery shopping, then off to check out your new shop?"

"Sounds good." Mac turned to Aislynn who nodded. "I want a shower first thought. I still smell like the hospital."

Aislynn laughed. "Yeah, and you're gonna shower how? Your arm's in a sling."

Mac sighed. "Damn it."

Pen took her cousin to the main floor bathroom. "I'll wash your hair, and we'll call the doctor to see when you can get out of and have a life back. Sound fair?"

Mac nodded. The two chatted while Pen washed her hair.

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Meanwhile…

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Aislynn sat on the couch and talked to Derek for a bit.

"So what is it exactly that you and Mac do?" He asked.

Aislynn and Mac were proud of their work, so Aislynn explained it. "We do photography and graphics. Mainly for billboards and advertising agencies. We do some family, wedding and baby stuff too."

"So who does what?"

"Mac does the photography and right now she's our secretary too. I do the graphics part. Touching up pictures, making slideshows, and CDs too. The billboard work and posters are mainly what I do." Aislynn smiled.

"Very cool. Maybe we'll get you to do some work for our recruiting drive." Morgan smiled.

They sat and chatted about that, the location of the studio and little things like that. He asked questions about her family. She felt comfortable enough to talk to him about it. The only person she had ever told about her past was Mac. But these people were like family to Mac, so that meant they were Aislynn's family too. She told him the whole story, and Derek felt for her. He was happy that Mac had found her. He had heard enough from Pen about Mac that he knew she and Aislynn were going to do each other some good. Being here was probably a fresh start for both of them. Soon Mac and Pen came out and Mac looked a little better. Once Aislynn went and changed and then the four of them headed out to fill the fridge, freezer and cupboards with food and new dishes, since theirs got smashed when Seth broke into their place in Maine.

They decided that going to check out the studio was going to be better before rather than after their adventure in grocery shopping. The studio was actually just a block down from the Hoover building. This made Pen ecstatic. They examined it. Originally it had been a law office, but they were going to be renovating it.

"First thing we're doing is changing the wall color." Aislynn laughed.

Mac agreed. "I'm pretty sure that our clients will appreciate it. I don't think diarrhea colored walls are overly welcoming." They planned on tearing down most of the walls, except for the ones that formed the main office, where Aislynn would be doing most of her graphics stuff. They'd also be building a darkroom for Mac.

When asked why Mac needed a darkroom, she answered. "Because I like doing it old school too. I do black and white photography from time to time. It's mainly a hobby, but some of the families that come through with their babies, or couples for their weddings want some black and white shots thrown in. So we do it."

That wowed Morgan. Not many people still did traditional photography. So once everything was planned out, the group headed out for the closest store that sold dishes. After ten minutes there, they left with two carts full of pots, pans, plates, cutlery and glassware. From there they went to the grocery store. By the time they were done there, Derek was extremely happy they had taken the Denali instead of Mac's car. They left with three grocery carts, overflowing of groceries. They unloaded them into the back seats, squeezed in and headed back to the house. When they arrived, another black SUV in the driveway.

"Who's that?" Aislynn asked.

"What's Hotch doing here?" Pen asked Derek.

"He's bringing over the rest of the stuff we need to teach these two a little self-defense." Derek smiled.

"Oh." Was all the three women could say.

Pen ran up to the door and shouted into the house. "Hotch, can you come help us unload the rest of this stuff in please?"

"Sure thing." Came the muffled reply from the basement.

Soon, Hotch and another man came up from the basement, and went outside.

The other man was a little shorter than Hotch, still very fit. His hair was very dark and he had a goatee. Aislynn saw him and dropped the box of groceries, of cans luckily enough, she was carrying.

"Everyone, this is Dave Rossi. He's one of the founding members of the BAU and he's decided to help me out this weekend, which means he's helping all of you."

The man, Dave, approached the group of them. He shook Morgan's hand as Hotch introduced him first, then Penelope, then Mackenzie and finally Aislynn.

"Aislynn? That's a Gaelic name isn't it?"

Aislynn nodded. "Yes."

Rossi then said. "It means 'dream'. Something tells me it's a name that suits you."

Then it hit her as to how this man was familiar. He was the man in her dreams. She ran through possible ways should could've met the man, then it hit her like a Mack truck. He was David Rossi, famous profiler and author and now he was standing on her front steps.

"Pleasure to meet you Aislynn." He said taking her hand and shaking it.

She was speechless, and suddenly she was swaying and then everything went black. Shouts surrounded her and strong arms caught her before she hit the pavement. After a few moments, they carried her into the house. She came to with David Rossi staring down at her.

"Are you okay bella?" He asked softly.

"Am I dreaming?" was all she could reply.

* * *

_**A/N: Well, that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed this lastest installment! Yeah, I know I rambled a bit and Amie, please don't kill me for having you black out, but it's my muse's fault! Anyhow, please review!**_

_**Love you all!**_

_**Nicole**_


	4. If I Fall

**A/N: Hello again! So, I decided that writing would be better than doing something stupid because I live with a moron… Here we are with another chapter of "Love Remembers". We'll pick up where we left off, with Aislynn swooning… and then we'll see where it goes. Also, to make my writing a little easier on pain medication because of my ankle, I have given Aislynn a nickname… it will be Lynn. So there will be no confusion that I added a new character, it's just a nickname.**

**Still loving the reviews! **

**Still wanting more reviews!**

**Finally, still dedicated to MissAmieB…**

**Love always **

**Nicole**

**

* * *

**

_She was speechless, and suddenly she was swaying and then everything went black. Shouts surrounded her and strong arms caught her before she hit the pavement. After a few moments, they carried her into the house. She came to with David Rossi staring down at her._

_"Are you okay bella?" He asked softly._

_"Am I dreaming?" was all she could reply._

_

* * *

_

Dave smiled. "No, you're not dreaming. Are you alright?"

Aislynn tried to get up, but was overcome by dizziness. "Uh… I'm not sure. My head's all fuzzy and the room's kinda spinning."

"I'll get her some water." Pen said.

Morgan took off after her. Mac walked up to the futon. "Aislynn, you think you maybe did too much today? You do have a concussion."

Rossi looked between the two. "Why does she have a concussion?"

Hotch stepped up and whispered. "Long story, I'll explain later."

Rossi nodded. He stepped back to let Pen give Aislynn the glass of water and an Advil. Aislynn took it, thanked Pen, and swallowed. It helped a little bit. Her head still hurt.

"You okay?" Mac asked, worried.

"I'll be fine Mac. You're being a mother hen."

Mac snickered. "Uh huh. Like you don't do it for me sometimes."

Aislynn grinned. "Yeah yeah. Thanks hun."

"I think us menfolk will go unload, and Pen can be bossy and tell us where it goes." Morgan stepped forward, sensing that Mac and Aislynn needed a little time to themselves.

"You don't have to do that!" Aislynn bolted up. "We can do it."

Rossi stepped back not wanting to step on anyone's toes. Hotch did the same. He would prefer if Mac and Aislynn rested, but he wasn't going to order them to.

Pen stepped up and put her hands on her hips. "No. We're here to help, so we're going to do just that. You two just chillax and we'll come get you when we're done. Then Rossi can take all of us out for supper."

"Me?" Rossi's head popped up. "Why me?"

Morgan grinned. "Because you're the world famous author and profiler, David Rossi."

Dave gaped at them. "So?"

"Dave, I think it means, buy the food, or Penelope will torture you with computer mumbo jumbo." Hotch smiled.

Dave sighed. "Fine. I'll take you all out but I'm choosing where we eat."

That was fine with everyone. So Aislynn and Mac stayed in the living room and talked, while the men did the hard physical labor, and Pen was being the supervisor.

"Aislynn, tell me the truth. Why'd you just collapse like that?" Mac asked. "You scared the crap out of me."

Aislynn knew Mac wouldn't let her not tell her, so she took a deep breath and told her the truth. "Two reasons. One, I think is the concussion headache."

"Okay." Mac crossed her arms. "What's the second reason?"

Aislynn brushed. She was a little embarrassed. "It's him."

"Him who?"

"David Rossi." Aislynn could feel her cheeks burning.

Mac wasn't catching on. She wasn't sure if it was because she was having a blonde moment, or if it was because her head was hurting. "I'm not seeing it. Draw me a picture."

Aislynn hit her head with her open palm. Mac reacted. "Don't face palm yourself. You've already got a mild concussion. You wanna make it worse?"

"Well you're not getting it."

"I'm sorry." Mac uncrossed her arms. "What's with this Rossi guy?"

"He's David Rossi. Remember all those books in my room."

"The FBI ones?"

Aislynn nodded.

"Okay, so he's FBI…"

"Mac! He's the one who wrote them! I have the biggest crush on him!"

That was when Mac put two and two together. "Wait, did you swoon because of him?"

Aislynn covered her face with a pillow.

"Oh my God!" Mac sat next to her on the futon. "You swooned for him!"

Aislynn nodded from behind the pillow.

Mac got up and started pacing. "Oh wow. Why don't you talk to the man?"

Aislynn looked up in horror. "I can't do that. Come on! Mac, the guy's a legend, and I'm…"

"A legend in your own right. You've won awards for your work and stuff. You may not be a world-renowned author or one of the world's best in profiling, but you are best at your job. So don't let him scare you or whatever the heck it is."

"I'm not scared. Miss-Googly-Eyes at Aaron." Aislynn retorted.

Mac grabbed a pillow and playfully tossed it at Aislynn. "Lynn! Zip it!"

"SO YOU DO LIKE HIM!" Lynn shouted. She started laughing hysterically.

This caused Penelope to pop her head in. "What's all the commotion about in here?"

Lynn signaled Pen to come in. "Mac has a thing for your boss." She giggled.

Pen's head whipped around to face Mac. "You. Have. A. Thing. For. Hotch?" She sounded out each word.

It was now Mac's turn to hide behind a toss cushion. Then she quickly retorted. "Well, Lynn has a thing for the Italian Stallion out there."

Penelope just burst into laughter. "Oh my God. I didn't think I'd end up having to play matchmaker with you two."

A high-pitched scream came from the kitchen. "COCKROACH!"

The three women bolted from the living room and to the kitchen. Morgan was standing on a chair pointing at a tiny cockroach. Rossi looked at him then stepped on the tiny critter and walked out to wipe his shoe off on the welcome mat. Penelope glared at Morgan, while everyone else laughed.

"Wow, Derek. Just wow." Pen shook her head.

Derek climbed down off the chair. "I hate bugs."

"We can tell." Rossi smirked.

Derek replied sheepishly. "It's a long story."

"Morgan, just don't let JJ or Reid find out." Hotch stifled his laughter.

Derek glared at his boss.

Penelope wrapped her arms around Morgan's neck. "Gumdrop, I love you, but a cockroach?"

Derek hung his head in defeat. He was never going to live this down. "Anyhow, all the stuff is put away and now Rossi can put his money where his mouth is."

"Yep. Let's go." Rossi allowed Aislynn and Mac to go ahead of him. "Wait." He said.

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Who's driving?" Rossi asked. "We shouldn't have to take a multitude of vehicles."

"How bout the girls go with you and Hotch and I'll hop in with Mr. Scardey Pants here?" Pen asked.

Mac and Lynn glared at her, but stopped to make sure Hotch and Rossi didn't catch them. They headed off to their separate vehicles. Morgan was going to follow Hotch. The whole ride, Penelope teased and bugged him about the cockroach. Rossi sat in the back with Aislynn, while Mac was up front with Hotch. They headed to a tiny Italian restaurant that Rossi said was the best in the area. They arrived and everyone but Rossi was shocked that they got to be seated right away.

"Dave?" Hotch asked. "Why did we get seated so quickly? There's a waiting list a mile long out there."

"I have a table permanently reserved for me." Dave answered as he pulled a chair out for Aislynn.

"Why?" Lynn whispered.

Dave smiled. "Because I come here often with my family and friends. It also helps that I am part owner of this joint."

This caused a jaw drop for everyone.

"You never told me this Dave." Aaron looked serious.

"Because I don't talk about this stuff with everyone, Aaron. Plus, I like to keep some of my life private and away from the eyes of the Bureau."

That made logical sense. Aaron helped Mac get seated and then sat across from her. He offered her one of the smiles that Penelope claimed was very rare. Rossi sat across from Aislynn. Leaving Pen with Morgan. The waitress came and took their order. Soon the table was chatting and reciting stories that brought tears to their eyes as they laughed. They ate and joked. Mac and Aislynn remained with reddish pink cheeks, as they blushed at the attention that Rossi and Hotch were paying them. They ate and soon the waitress returned to take their dessert orders. Rossi ordered gelato for everyone.

"It's my mother's own recipe." He smiled, specifically at Aislynn. "You'll like it."

Lynn by this point was fighting the urge to not blurt out her true feelings for Dave. He was her hero and she had more than a crush on him. Even though she'd been in relationships before, she had never felt the way she did about David Rossi. If she didn't know better, she would say she loved him, even though they had never met until today. She just nodded. "I love gelato." She managed.

By this point Mac was snickering into her napkin because she didn't want to embarrass Lynn, but she could tell that there were some sparks between the older Italian and her best friend. Penelope kicked Mac in the shin. Mac glared at her. "What was that for?" She mouthed.

Pen whispered. "What goes around comes around."

Mac didn't understand what Pen meant, but she figured it wasn't good.

The gelato soon arrived and Dave hadn't been lying when he said it was the best in D.C. They finished the meal and Dave whispered something to the waitress concerning the bill. Once it was all taken care he smiled up the group, and got up, extending his hand to Aislynn. "Shall we go enjoy the evening?"

Aislynn took it, blushing. "Sure."

"Dave, man, what do you mean enjoy the evening?" Derek asked as he helped Pen with her jacket.

"It's a nice evening. I figured a walk about this area would be beneficial to the girls, since they're new here." Dave smiled and finished putting on his jacket. He had already helped Lynn with hers.

Aaron had carefully gotten Mac into hers, since her shoulder was still in the sling for a little while longer. "Dave, you do know it's mid-March and all the wonderful bugs have made their appearances."

Lynn laughed. Mac blushed. Both replied in unison. "We're used to bugs and critters, we're right on the waterfront."

Lynn looked at Mac. "Jinx!"

Both of them broke out into a fit of laughter. The others joined in. Tonight was a night that each of them had so badly needed. Aaron needed it because Haley had broken his heart and he had buried himself in work ever since. Dave had been through marriage number three, retired (not by choice) and had begun his writing. He was miserable this way, but tonight he was smiling and enjoying himself. Pen and Derek had been alright but seeing the past few cases of hell were hard on them and putting a tiny bit of strain on their relationship. This was just what their relationship needed.

"If they're game for going for a walk, then I say we do it." Dave smiled and extended his arm for Lynn to take it.

With that, the trio of couples went out into the crisp March air and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Washington D.C. in the evening. Spring was finally in the air. Dave led the group to the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The sounds of spring invaded their ears. They were walking by a brush of roses when both Aislynn and Mac started screaming. Aislynn threw herself at Dave, while Mac hopped into Aaron's arms. Pen and Derek looked at them as if they had lost their minds. They then looked around them. All they saw was a lonely honeybee.

"Mac, you alright?" Hotch asked, looking deeply into her eyes.

Mac swallowed, flushed red and nodded. "You can put me down now. I'm sorry for that."

"I'm just terrified of bees." Mac and Aislynn said together.

"It's okay." Rossi and Hotch answered in unison.

Everyone bust out laughing when Rossi yelled "jinx" at Hotch.

"You two are rubbing off them." Derek shook his head.

Pen whispered to him. "It might be a good thing."

They all calmed down, laughing and finished their walk. Hotch drove the girls home, but not before reminding Pen and Derek to be in the office by 8 the next morning. Rossi and Lynn were in the backseat again, this time openly discussing Lynn and Mac's new work. Hotch and Mac made small talk about movies and music.

When they pulled up, Rossi opened the door for Aislynn and walked her to the house. She invited him in for a quick talk. Hotch stopped Mac from opening the car door.

"Mackenzie." He said softly.

She stopped in her tracks. "Yes Aaron?"

"I hope you don't think of me being forward, but are you seeing anyone?" Hotch spat it out in a rush. It wasn't the way he had meant it to come out, but he was nervous. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm just in shock."

"I can let you think about it if you'd like." He offered.

Mac shook her head. "No. Aaron it's not that." She blushed. "I've just never gone out with anyone before."

Aaron fought to not have his jaw drop. "Ever?" He asked carefully.

She shook her head. "Nope. I was shy in school, then I put my focus into college. I just never got asked out, so I just dealt with it and lived life for what it was."

"Well, would you consider going out with me sometime? I'd really like the chance to go out with you." He whispered.

Mac's cheeks burned. She hadn't been asked out before and this was completely unknown territory to her. "I'd like that." She finally managed to say.

Hotch smiled. Mac took note of this because Penelope had said this was a very rare occurrence. "I'm glad." He replied. "I may have to head out on a case tomorrow but I'll call you to set a date?"

"Sounds great, Aaron."

Hotch got out of the car, and opened the passenger door for Mac. He was about to close it when Rossi came bounding out of the house. Hotch shook his head and semi-glared at his mentor. Rossi sat himself in the car, while Hotch walked Mac to front door. He felt like he was back in high school again, taking his date home from the prom, but it was still an exhilarating feeling for him.

"I had a great time tonight." His eyes twinkled in the moonlight.

Mac felt her cheeks burn hotter. "I did too. Sorry about the bee thing."

Hotch laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it. What do you think of Aislynn and Dave together?"

It was Mac's turn to smiled. "I think we could be matchmakers." _Like Pen was for us. _She finished the thought in her mind. She then turned to go into the house.

Aaron's strong hand stopped her again. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. Unsure of what to do, Mac gently put her good hand up and caressed his face. After what seemed like eternity in heaven, they eased apart.

"Good night Aaron." She swore she was probably as red as a cherry.

"Good night Mackenzie." He kissed her lips, then cheek lightly. "I'll give you a call tomorrow."

Mac nodded and slipped inside. She gently closed the door and locked it. She turned and leaned against the door. "Wow." Was all she could think before forcing herself up the stairs to her bed.

Aaron walked towards the car slowly. He felt like he was walking on air. He looked back at the house to see the light in Mac's room on, then looked back at the car. He could see Dave laughing.

"_I'm not going to hear the end of this." _He thought

He got into the car and looked at Dave. "Nice shade of red there, Dave."

Dave stopped laughing and looked in the mirror that was in the sun visor. There was a red tinge from Aislynn's lipstick on his lips and on his collar.

Aaron smirked as he put the car into reverse to pull out of the driveway.

"So you and Garcia's cousin huh?" Rossi asked, prodding.

"Not one word Dave. Not one word." Hotch didn't want relationship tips from the man who'd been married three times before now. The rest of the trip home was made in silence, but both men bore million watt smiles.

* * *

**A/N: Hello lovelies! A happy birthday note going out to MissAmieB! Amie, I hope you've enjoyed you're birthday gift… more to come very soon, once I get my three essays done. So, that wasn't all exactly what I had planned but hey it still worked! Please read and review!**

**Love you all!**

**ANOTHER QUICK NOTE: **

**All the chapters in this story are song based. So I figured I'd leave a list of the titles for the other chapters with the artist that sings it.**

**Chapter 1: Small Town, Big Dreams- Paul Brandt**

**Chapter 2: At The Beginning- Donna Lewis and Richard Marx (Anastasia Soundtrack)**

**Chapter 3- Just A Dream- Carrie Underwood**

**Chapter 4- If I Fall- Doc Walker**

**Nicole**


	5. What About Now?

**A/N: Ola! Well… finally classes are over and I'm actually able to update… hopefully FanFic stops being a ***** and let's me upload.**

**This chapter will take place over a couple days… Hope you enjoy! Note: Lynn= Aislynn… just in case we forgot…**

**Still don't own CM… wish I did… but I don't.**

**Still dedicated to MissAmieB!**

**As always PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

**Love always**

**Nicole**

* * *

**The day after the date…**

* * *

Mac woke up and for the first time in a very long time, she felt completely refreshed. She had a quick shower, carefully though, as to not to damage her shoulder more. She then got dressed and proceeded to do her hair and applied a light amount of make-up. The ultimate plan, other than waiting for Aaron's call, was to have interviews for a receptionist for their studio. Lynn and Mac needed someone for that role since they would be busy with their own work. Lynn would be making promotional posters and billboards as well as working on assignments they had already acquired from a publishing house for covers of their books. Mac, on the hand, would be dealing with the photography aspect. They already had about a dozen family and wedding sessions booked for when the renovations were complete in a week's time.

The ad had been put out two weeks ago when they had bought the space. There were fifteen applicants and interviews started at eleven. It was now 9:30. She headed down to the kitchen. Lynn was already down there. She had made something that smelled absolutely heavenly.

"Hey!" Lynn exclaimed. "I thought I was going to have to wake you up with a bucket of water, Sleeping Beauty."

Mac laughed. "I was up on time, just getting ready takes longer than usual." She pointed to the sling.

Lynn nodded. "I made your favorite waffles, with the apple cinnamon sauce."

"Oh My GOD! I love you!" Mac squealed. She hugged her best friend, then noticed something on her neck. "Aislynn? What on earth were you up to last night?"

Lynn's face turned crimson as she stammered to explain the obvious hickey.

Mac shook her head. "And don't give me the 'I lost the fight with the Central Vac excuse either'."

Lynn's jaw dropped. "I only said that once!"

"Yeah and it was the vac either that time. It was the captain of the varsity hockey team."

Lynn started to laugh. "Fine, it's Dave's fault."

"I thought so!" Mac giggled. "I'm taking he's a good kisser?"

Lynn nodded. "Uh huh."

"Well, I hope it works. He seems like an awesome guy." Mac was trying to calm herself.

Lynn nodded. The two sat down and ate their waffles, while going over applicants. Lynn was waiting to hear what had happened between Mac and Aaron, but Mac wasn't saying anything. If she didn't spill the details by dinner, she'd start prodding. Lynn could tell that Mac, like her, had had the time of her life the previous night.

Once breakfast was done, they loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and headed out the door. The Charger was Mac's but Lynn was driving because Mac couldn't. Lynn's car had been stolen and totaled a month ago, and she hadn't gone to get a new one yet. It didn't really bother either of them, since they lived and worked together. The drive was quick but still long enough for them to sing along with Carrie Underwood's "Undo it" and "Cowboy Casanova" on the way in.

They got there are 10:30 because they wanted to see how the renovations were going. The foreman approached them and told them that everything was going ahead of schedule. They would be done in the next couple days. That was a surprise, because the other day he had told them it would've been at least another week. They thanked him and headed to what was going to be the main office.

"I wonder who kicked their butts into gear?" Lynn asked aloud, organizing the paperwork.

"I don't know, but I'd really like to thank them with cookies or something." Mac grinned as she set about making coffee and a hot chocolate for herself.

The interviews started at eleven o'clock on the dot. Three hours later they had determined of the fifteen candidates, thirteen were definite 'no's and the other two were 'maybe's.

"Maybe we should try arranging more interviews?" Mac asked.

"Maybe." Lynn nodded.

A knock at the door interrupted them.

"Can we help you?" Mac asked politely.

The young man nodded. "I hope so. I'm looking for the owners of A & M Photography and Graphics?"

"That would be us." Mac signaled him to come in.

Once he was in proper lighting, they could see he was probably older than them, but still very youthful. He was very handsome. He was tall, at least 6'4" or 6'5". He was very muscular. His sparkling sapphire eyes were greatly complimented by his sun kissed skin and raven colored hair. He was in a crisp white dress shirt, that clung to his sculpted body, with blue jeans riding just above his hips, and a rodeo buckle was the final touch for this cowboy Adonis. "My name's Cole Monaghan." He shook both their hands.

Both women fought the urge to faint dead away. They then proceeded to introduce themselves.

"How can we help you?" Lynn asked.

"I'm here to apply for the assistants position." He replied.

Lynn was a little confused. "Assistant?"

Cole handed her the newspaper he had under his arm. Lynn read the ad. She knew nothing about this. "Mac?" She asked.

Mac nodded. "Yea. I placed the ad. I need an assistant for the big shoots, and all out of office work. I wasn't planning interviews until next week though." She noticed the typo stating today's date for interviews in the ad.

Cole looked at them in confusion. "Oh. I see. I thought the paper said it was today."

"The interviews for todays were for a receptionist."

Cole laughed. "Oops. I guess I'll get going and I'll schedule for next week."

"Wait." Mac stopped him. "You're already here. Let's see what you've got."

They sat down and discussed his credentials. He had been a professional bull rider and steer wrestler. Before moving to D.C., he had done security and bouncing at hotels and casinos in Vegas.

"Cole, can I be honest with you?" Mac asked.

Cole nodded. "Of course ma'am."

"With these skills, you're better set for security than hauling, and setting up equipment."

"Yes Ma'am. But I've been a fan of both of your works and I really enjoy it. I may be a cowboy but I do appreciate your art. Also, in being your assistant, I could provide security on shoots and such." He offered.

Mac looked to Lyn and leaned in. "That would definitely come in handy."

Lynn nodded. "Most definitely."

They both turned back to face Cole.

"Mr. Monaghan." Mac smiled. "You're hired. Can you come by this address tomorrow afternoon to start?" She handed him their home address. She wasn't worried about him being a freak as Lynn had sent his files to Pen, who had emailed them right back with a clean record.

He looked it over. "Of course, Miss Lambert."

"Call me Mac." She shook his hand and smiled wider. "Welcome to our team."

That was the end of their day. They checked in on their renos and then headed home. They wanted to talk about their choices for receptionist. It was down to two and they wanted to choose who it would be before the weekend, as Monday would be the first day A & M would be open for business.

They were almost home when Mac's cell began ringing. She looked down at the display, "Aaron" was flashing on the screen. She giggled quietly then calmed down to answer the phone. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Aaron's voice was calm, but she could hear it in his voice, that he was happy to be able to speak to her. "How was your day?"

"It was good. We got my assistant and we're down to two candidates for receptionist."

"That's great! Have Penelope run their background checks."

"Yes sir." She mocked him jokingly. "How was your day?"

"This case is bad. We're heading out to Kentucky right now."

Mac could tell that whatever this case involved, it was upsetting Hotch. "When will you be back?"

"Whenever we catch this guy." He sighed. "I'm sorry Mac."

"Don't apologize Aaron. It's your job. I totally understand that. I can wait until you get back."

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yes Aaron. It's totally fine. It's your job. It's important, because your one of the one's keeping us all safe. Catch the bad guy and come back in one piece and we can celebrate and go out when you come back."

"You're amazing." He smiled. "I'll try to call tomorrow. If you need anything, call Dave. He said he'd help if you needed it."

"I bet he did." Mac snickered. "Be safe." She whispered.

"Always. Talk to you soon sweetheart." He said, then disconnected the call.

Mac slowly put her phone away. She was grinning like the Cheshire cat. He had kept his promise.

"What made you so perky?" Lynn asked.

Mac didn't hear her. She was kind of lost in her own little world.

"I'm pregnant with an alien baby!" Lynn shouted.

Mac snapped out of it. "Huh? Sorry. Didn't hear you."

Lynn laughed. "No! Really?" She shook her head. "What did Aaron have to say?"

"That they got called away for a case and he'd try to call me again tomorrow."

"And?"

"And what?" Mac was slightly confused.

"And did he ask you out again?"

"Yeah. We're going to go whenever he gets back. He apologized for not knowing when we'd be going."

"Oh My GOD!" Lynn exclaimed. "He's totally into you!"

"How the hell do you get that?"

Lynn sighed, stopped at the red light and hit her head on the steering wheel. "Because he apologized. He's worried you're not going to accept or understand his career."

Mac's mouth formed a silent 'O'.

"There we go. Silly girl. I thought you were supposed to be a genius?"

Mac playfully smacked her friend's arm as they continued home. "Not with guys! Damn it Lynn!" Mac's voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm still a virgin."

Luckily for them, Lynn had just pulled into their driveway. She slammed on the brakes, causing their seatbelts to lock and jolt them. Mac screamed. Lynn turned off the ignition and turned to gawk at her best friend. "You're a WHAT?"

Mac tried to hide her obvious embarrassment but failed miserably as her face burned and her cheeks filled with color. "I'm a virgin."

Lynn was shocked. Sex was never really a subject they talked about. Well they talked about what she did, but Mac ever talked about it so Lynn never pushed the subject.

"Oh my God! Hunnie!" Lynn exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I just thought…"

"I know. I thought about just doing it to get it over with, but I couldn't. I want it to be with someone special and have it actually mean something."

"Does Aaron know?"

Mac shook her head. "I never came out and told him. But he knows I've never really dated anyone before."

"Oh boy." Lynn sighed. "You'll have to tell him at some point."

"Why?"

"Because Mac. I'm pretty sure that man is not a virgin."

Mac figured that but he hadn't thought that he would have a problem with her being innocent and inexperienced. "Do you think he'll mind?"

"Every guys different Mac. When you guys have been dating longer, you can bring it up and talk to him about it."

"Thanks Lynn. Oh, I forgot. Aaron told me to tell you, if you need anything to call Dave."

This time it was Lynn's turn to blush. "Brat!"

The two girls laughed and went into the house. They prepared supper and talked about which of the two candidates would be best for the receptionist position. They concluded that discussion very quickly, as Pen's background check into the candidates finally came through. Their original top choice had a criminal record for theft and aggravated assault.

"So I guess we're down to one now." Lynn closed the manila folders.

Mac nodded. "I guess so. I'll call her to let her know."

It was late now and they decided to call it a night. Both of them headed off to bed. Lynn was thinking of Dave and wondering if she should call him or not, while Mac fell into a peaceful sleep filled with dreams of the studdly FBI agent who had captured her heart, whether he knew it or not.

* * *

**The next day…**

* * *

Cole arrived bright and early to go over his job description fully. Once they had covered that, he loaded their car and his truck with all of Mac's photography equipment, and their computers, scanners and printers. He volunteered to make sure everything was installed and up and running properly, so that the girls could deal with the receptionist training and orientation.

Their new receptionist agreed to come in that afternoon. Orientation wasn't going to take too long, especially since Cole had already completed his.

By the time they had completed the receptionist's training, the foreman of the renovation team came to find them.

"We just finished, and we're cleaning up now." He informed them.

"Oh! Perfect!" Lynn grinned. Here let me get my cheque book to pay you guys a bonus…"

"We've been well taken care of. Thank you though." The foreman replied kindly. "I wish you the best in this venture." He shook both of their hands and left.

Mac and Lynn's jaw hit the ground. They were shocked and also very curious as to who had arranged this for them.

"Uh, Mac?" Cole's voice came from the doorway. "Lynn? Everything alright in here?"

They nodded. "Yeah. What's up?"

"The new girl…" He started.

"Haley?"

"Yeah. She's asking if you need anything else, or if she can go home, and come back tomorrow to start?"

"Tell her to be here Monday at 8:30 am. We'll e-mail her all the details of what she'll need to do." Lynn answered. "You can go home too Cole. We'll see you at 8:30, Monday morning."

"Thank you." He grinned. "Have a good weekend."

"You too." Mac waved as he walked out of their office. After he was gone, Mac grinned insanely. "We get a long weekend!"

"Only you would go there." Lynn shook her head. "We have so much paperwork to fill out and you have film and shit to buy."

"All done, Miss Worrywart. You need to enjoy yourself." Mac kept on grinning. "Maybe call that special Italian?"

"Mac!" Lynn rolled her eyes. "How do I know he even still wants to see me again."

"Because…" Mac pointed to the doorway.

"He's right here." Rossi's voice came from the door way.

Lynn spun around. "Dave." She felt her breath hitch.

"Good evening Aislynn." He smiled. "Mac."

"Hey." Mac waved. "I'll let you two be. See you at home."

Lynn spun to look at her. "You can't drive."

"Yep. Doc called to clear me today." Mac waved. "Toodles." She skipped out of the building, leaving Lynn standing face to face with the man she admired and loved.

"Everything okay?" Dave asked.

Lynn gulped. "Yeah. Everything's great. I just didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"I'm not a prude Aislynn, especially not when I meet a woman as captivating as you."

Lynn blushed. "You can call me Lynn, Dave. Everyone else does."

"I'm not everyone." Dave smiled. "Plus Aislynn is a beautiful name."

Lynn felt her cheeks get hotter. "Thanks."

"Are you busy this evening?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No. Everything we needed to do got done, including the renovations."

Dave grinned. "So they did finish early?"

"Yeah." She grabbed her purse, but stopped to turn back to face him. "Wait, do you know something about that?"

"I might."

"Dave… what did you do?"

"I wanted to make sure they got it done early so you could start doing your thing and enjoy the new life."

"So you threatened them? Bribed them?" Lynn asked.

"I paid them a large bonus. They were going to keep delaying so they could drown you in bills. I overheard them the other night. So I confronted them. Turns out the original foreman, the one you guys hired, had been sick, so another guy took over. He was crooked, so I straightened them out. I also paid the real foreman, a significant bonus to make sure things stayed on track."

"Dave you didn't have to do that." Lynn blushed once again.

"I don't like seeing people getting played for money like that." Dave walked towards her.

"Thank you." Lynn reached for her cheque book again.

"Lynn, I did it as a gift or a donation to your hard work." Dave stopped her. "I don't want you to pay me back."

"But Dave, I feel guilty."

"Then, how about you let me take you out tonight. That would make me very happy."

"Only if you let me pay."

"Then it's not me taking you out." Dave pointed out.

"I'm not one of those girls David." Lynn crossed her arms over her chest.

"What type are you talking about, bella?"

"The type that goes out with a guy because he's loaded and has a sweet car and stuff."

Dave laughed lightly. "I didn't think you were the gold digging type."

Lynn cocked her head to the side. "You're right on that one. What type of girl do you think I am?"

"You're the type of girl who's been hurt before. You don't trust men easily. Probably because your dad walked about on you when you were very young. You're very independent and don't like being taken care of or spoiled, because that's not the daughter your mother raised. You're a hard worker, honest and kind. You care about everyone's happiness but your own."

Lynn nodded to each of the points he mentioned. She had never told anyone other than Mac about her dad. And she was pretty sure Mac hadn't told anyone else. "How did you…?"

"Know all of that?" Dave asked.

Lynn nodded.

"Because I'm a profiler. I'm well trained in reading people and understanding their behavior and their attitude."

Lynn went to hit her head with her palm, but Dave stopped her. "I feel stupid." She sighed.

"Why? Because I know who you are?"

She nodded. "That and because I've read all your books, so I know that you are an amazing profiler."

Dave gently stroked her cheek. "Thank you, bella."

"You keep calling me that." She looked at him, curiosity in her eyes.

Dave kissed her lips softly, shocking her a bit. "It means beautiful in Italian."

Lynn nodded slowly, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back, this time a little deeper. "Thank you Dave. Yes, I'll let you take me out tonight."

He smiled. "Perfect."

They shut all the lights out and locked the door. He slid her arm through his and guided her to his car. The pristine black Chrysler 300 was parked in the visitor parking stall.

"Wow." Lynn said in awe of the car. "Very nice car."

"Thank you." He opened the passenger door for her. "How does Japanese sound for supper?"

"Sounds perfect." Lynn smiled.

He shut the door and went around to the driver's side. While he buckled in and started the car, Lynn texted Mac to let her know what was going on. She quickly received a reply.

"You're welcome. Have a great night! Love Mac and Aaron."

Lynn laughed, put her phone away and chatted with Dave all the way to the restaurant.

* * *

**A/N: Well that concludes Ch. 5… Next chapter will be a little further into the future, as I'd really like to get to season 1 of the show in here. **

**Song base for this chapter: "What About Now?" by Lonestar.**

**Please read and review!**

**More to come soon… after I'm done finals.**

**Love always…**

**Nicole **


	6. Fell Right Into You

_**A/N: Thank you to the following authors who have reviewed this story so far: MissAmieB, p9500, Angel N Darkness and strangers in the night. Thank you also to each and every one of you who has added me as an author or any of my stories to your favorites or your alert lists. It means so much to me.**_

_**So this chapter will take place about 5 months after they meet… so about 4 or so months after the last chapter. I'm needing to shoot forward so we can get to line up with Season 1. Please bear with me.**_

_**Once again, I don't own Criminal Minds, just my OCs, Aislynn (Lynn), Mackenzie (Mac) and Cole, as well as the storyline. (I will be borrowing parts from the episodes as we get to them).**_

_**As always, this story is dedicated to MissAmieB.**_

_**Love always, **_

_**Nicole**_

* * *

It had been a few months since Mac and Lynn had started their new lives in Washington D.C. Business was really good. Mac was up to her eyebrows in wedding and engagement shoots. She was out on the job almost every weekend. Lynn was in the middle of two major projects. One was a promotional campaign for the public transit system while the other was a series of book covers for a new children's series.

As for the dating scene, Aaron would often pick Mac up for lunch or after work. Lynn could tell how happy her best friend was. With Aaron's job calling him away often, the little time he had with Mac was well used and appreciated. Lynn and Dave saw each other on and off, but they weren't as serious as Mac and Aaron were. They wanted to take it slow. Lynn saw that Dave cared, and she knew she loved him, but she also knew his track record, and she wasn't really interested in becoming a new statistic. She also saw how Mac and Aaron cared for each other, and she could see it was only a matter of time before the two of them would be getting more serious in their relationship.

It was a very rare Friday, today. Lynn was wrapping up a final part of the children's series, and Mac didn't have a wedding this weekend. She was going to be busy developing the black and white shots and teaching Cole the finer points of print developing through the day. This weekend, Mac was spending entirely with Aaron, just the two of them. Mac and Lynn both knew that Aaron was coming this afternoon to pick Mac up for their special weekend. Lynn went back to her work, while Mac went to talk to Haley about her visitor. She wanted to make sure Haley would either call Mac or tell Aaron where she was, when he arrived.

"Hey, Haley." Mac said as she approached the receptionist's desk.

"Oh hi Mac." The petite blonde said as she put some files away.

"There's a gentleman coming to see me this afternoon. I'll be in the darkroom, just bring him there." Mac smiled. Haley wasn't the perkiest woman in the world, but Mac, the perky Energizer bunny she was, didn't let it get to her.

"Sure thing." Haley cracked a smile. "What's his name?"

"Aaron." Mac smiled. "Thanks Haley."

Haley nodded and set about calling clients to inform them that their proofs were ready and making appointments for them to come in to check them out the following week. Mac headed to the darkroom to meet Cole.

It was almost three hours later when Cole excused himself to go check on the racket coming from the front desk. Mac was too deep in her work to really pay attention.

* * *

_**Meanwhile… at the front desk…**_

* * *

Haley was busy filing receipts and bills when a deep, yet familiar, masculine voice said. "I'm here to see Mackenzie Lambert."

Haley spun around and gasped. "Aaron Hotchner!"

"Haley?" Aaron was just as shocked as she was. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I work here." She glared. "Since when are you the stalking type?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not here to stalk you Haley. Hell I didn't even know you worked here! I'd be quite content if I would have never seen or heard from you ever again." He said a little louder than before. He didn't like to fight but this woman had hurt him, pushed him away and now she was throwing false accusations at him.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Haley! Where is MAC?" He shouted.

This stabbed her. Despite their relationship being over for close to a year now, it hurt her to know that he had found someone else, someone younger, more vital and, she thought, was significantly more beautiful than she was. She felt horrible, so she lied. "She's out on a shoot."

"Haley, I don't think lying is going to work in your favor right now. Where is she?"

"What's she got that I don't?" She snapped.

"A whole hell of a lot." Aaron wasn't about to let her stop him from seeing Mac. "Tell me where she is?"

"Don't you use the FBI tone with me!" She screeched. "Does she know you ignore the woman you're with because of your work? Does she know you're incapable of love or emotion?"

Hotch was about to snap back that Mac was different because she understood and accepted his job, something Haley had never done, when a tall cowboy walked into the room. "What the hell is going on in here!" He bellowed. He looked between Haley and the suited man, whose back was turned.

When Cole bellowed, Aaron turned to see Cole, Mac's assistant and security standing there. When Cole realized Aaron was the man who was arguing with Haley, he apologized. "Sorry, sir. I didn't realize you were coming by today."

"Cole! Don't chitchat with him! Get him outta here!" She screeched some more.

Cole glared at the receptionist. "Listen Haley, you'd better hope that Lynn or Mac don't find out about this…"

"Hope that Mac and Lynn don't find out about what?" Lynn's voice came from the entryway.

The trio turned to come face to face with Mac and Lynn. Lynn had overhead the commotion, ran and grabbed Mac from the darkroom to go check on what was going on. It was at this point that Haley bit her tongue, Aaron's face softened somewhat and Cole lowered his head.

"Someone please explain to me what the HELL is going on in here!" Lynn put her hands on her hips.

Mac looked calmly between her boyfriend and her two employees. She finally turned to Cole. "Well?"

Cole wasn't about to lose his job for the blonde sourpuss. "I only came in part way. It seems Haley used to date Agent Hotchner and she's accusing him of stalking her."

Aaron nodded. "I didn't know Haley was your receptionist."

Mac shook her head. "It's okay. But I'm not seeing how that resulted in the screaming match that Lynn overheard."

"It's just a big misunderstanding." Haley spoke softly.

"Big misunderstanding is not what I would call what I heard." Lynn said sternly. "I overheard every word that seemed to sound like it was World War III in here. You don't seem to like the fact that one of your bosses, who is younger than you, is dating your ex."

Mac's jaw dropped. "Haley?" She was really wishing that she wasn't so innocent in things involving relationships, exes or anything of the subject matter.

Haley dropped her head. "Yes. I'm a little upset. I didn't know that Aaron, meant Aaron Hotchner."

Mac turned to Lynn. Lynn nodded, the two communication silently through their eyes. So Mac asked. "Haley? Will this be a problem for you? That Aaron is my boyfriend? That he'll be coming by here from time to time?"

Haley shook her head. "No ma'am. It won't be a problem at all."

"Good." Lynn replied.

Both Mac and Lynn turned to Hotch. "Aaron?" Lynn asked.

"I have no qualms with this. Though if it would make it easier on everyone, I can wait outside from now on." He offered.

Haley, not wanting to lose her job, shook her head. "That won't be necessary. I'm sorry for having such a reaction. It won't happen again.

"Good." Mac smiled, breaking the awkward silence that had come over the group. "Now, Haley, once you're done filing you can go home. Cole, if you could help with these prints. Aaron, you can tag along or you can go chill with Lynn until I'm done."

Haley nodded and went about finishing her work. Cole nodded as well and followed Mac back to the darkroom. Aaron told Mac he'd join her after he delivered a message to Lynn from Dave. Lynn and Aaron headed to her office. Once they were all out of the room, Haley felt tears build up and slide down her cheeks. Hotch had found true love, and she felt a pang of jealousy as she realized it wasn't her. She collected her things and left to go and re-evaluate herself and what she'd done with her life.

* * *

_**Lynn's office…**_

* * *

"I'm sorry for that." Aaron apologized.

Lynn smiled. "I don't really like her, personally, but she was our only choice. Having her flip out like that, over something that's not really any of her business, that was out of line."

"I didn't mean for my dirty laundry and skeletons to be dumped into yours and Mac's laps. Especially not at your work."

"Just keep Mac happy and all is forgiven." Lynn grinned.

Hotch laughed. "Fair enough. Anyhow, Dave is coming back from his book tour in a couple days."

"Oh? Did he cut it short?" Lynn asked.

"Nope." Aaron replied. "His publicist quit."

"What?" Lynn dropped the files she was holding. "Why?"

"Because, while on one of her quick trips home to see her family, she found her husband in bed with their 18-year-old babysitter." Aaron tried to be more serious.

"Oh my God! An 18-year-old girl with a married man? The poor woman." Lynn had met Dave's publicist on a couple different occasions as Dave's date for some of his award ceremonies.

"18-year-old boy." Aaron politely corrected her.

Lynn's jaw dropped. "Oh. Oh boy. That makes it that much harder. So he's coming back to find a new publicist?"

Aaron nodded. "That and to see you."

Lynn felt her cheeks burn. "Me?"

"Yes. He misses you Lynn. Doesn't he ever call you?"

She shook her head. "No, why?"

"Because he's always asking _me_ about you. How you are and stuff like that. Doesn't he have your number?"

Lynn shrugged. "He has my number for here and the house. Not my cell."

Aaron was a little confused. "Why doesn't he have your cell number?"

"Because I wasn't sure he'd want it. He knows where I work and where I live."

"Lynn, can I be frank with you?"

She nodded.

"The man cares about you, and he likes to be able to talk to you. Give him your number. He's too pig headed and proud to ask you for it himself."

"Okay." She blushed a little. "Thank you Aaron."

"No problem. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure that cowboy you two hired as security, isn't hitting on my girlfriend." And with that Aaron took his leave.

Lynn laughed and set back to finishing her project. She would be taking the car back since Aaron would be driving Mac home, presumably at the end of the weekend.

Aaron found the darkroom easily enough. He knocked on the revolver like door. He received a reply. "Come in, just don't touch anything." So he stepped into the gap and pushed on the panel causing it to spin around him and reveal a red-lit room. He stepped out into the red light and kept his hands at his sides. He kept an observant eye on Cole. Though Cole was physically close to Mac, he wasn't being a flirt. Aaron could tell through his body language that this man was only interested in learning. This gave Aaron some relief. He wasn't normally a jealous man, but ever since he'd been with Mac, he was different.

"How's it going?" Aaron asked.

"Very good sir." Cole said. "She's an amazing photographer."

"Cole, you can call me Aaron. And she's amazing. Period."

"Of course, Aaron." Cole responded. He respected Aaron and his work with the FBI.

"Aaron, I'll just be a few more minutes. I'm just going to collect my stuff and talk to Lynn really quick." Flicked on the overhead white lights. "Can you two play nice while I'm gone?"

"Yes, ma'am." The two men said in unison.

Mac left the darkroom snickering.

The two men followed and left the darkroom themselves, shutting the lights behind them.

"Aaron." Cole said, turning to face Hotch. "I hope you don't mind me working so closely with Mac. I know how you feel, I can see it in your eyes."

Aaron shook his head. "I have no problem with it. I know she's going to always be safe with you around. I'd be lying if I didn't say I feel a little jealous or threatened."

"How so?"

"You're a very handsome man, Cole. Plus your work doesn't take you across the country all the time like mine does."

"Sir," Cole switched back to his respect mode, which was only accented by his Texan accent. "You are the only man she ever wants. She understands your job more than you give her credit for. I don't know if she's said it to you or if it's my place to say this, but Mac loves you. Nothing will ever change that." Cole looked at Aaron, straight on.

"Thank you Cole." Aaron shook the cowboy's hand. "Keep them safe."

"I will. What about this thing with Haley?"

Aaron didn't know what to think of it. The world really was a small place. "She's my past. Mac is my present and hopefully my future. If Haley has a problem with that, then it's her problem alone, not mine. She's a good person, just not the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Mac makes me feel alive and I know I want to be with her from now until God takes me from this Earth."

Lynn had just been coming out of her office when she overheard the last bit of the conversation between Cole and Aaron. She smiled. Finally Mac could truly be happy. She went back into her office to call Dave. She was in a great mood, and talking to him was the only thing that would put her over the moon. She was also going to take Hotch's advice and give Dave her cell number, because she wanted to talk to him more than just when she was at home.

Cole left soon after his small chat with Aaron, promising Mac he'd see her Monday at the shoot they had scheduled. Mac wished him a happy weekend then turned to face Aaron. Aaron had a lopsided grin. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing sweetheart. Just happy to have a weekend alone with you."

Mac's cheeks burned crimson. "Oh." She giggled.

"Now, supper in a restaurant or a sunset picnic in the park?"

Mac thought about it. "Can we do a picnic? I haven't had one since I was a little girl."

"Anything for you." He took her bags and led her to his personal car.

"Where's your Denali?" Mac asked.

"I wanted one weekend totally sans FBI. So we get to use my car." Aaron smiled. "I want this weekend to be special, just you and me."

This caused Mac to worry. She had yet to tell Aaron that she was a virgin, despite them being together just over five months now. She wasn't sure on how all this stuff really went.

Aaron turned to look at Mac before putting the car into motion. He could see something was bothering her. He'd ask her about it later. They went in search of a deli that would provide them with their picnic supper. Afterwards they drove to Aaron's to leave the car. They walked a couple blocks to the park that had the perfect view of D.C. at sunset. They had on the blanket he had brought and enjoyed their picnic.

They talked about her work and his. Then she told him about a gala she had been invited to, honoring her work. "It's a black tie affair, next month, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me?"

Aaron smiled. "I'd love to Mac."

"I'm pretty sure you look amazing in a tux." She blushed.

This caused Aaron's face to fill with color. "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out." He winked. "Is everything okay, Mac? You seemed a little upset in the car."

"I was thinking."

"Mac, you can tell me anything." He put his arms around her, pulling her to him. He positioned her so his arms were around her waist, her back to his chest, so they could continue to enjoy the sunset.

She took a deep breath. She had tried rehearsing how she was going to tell him, but it never sounded right. "It's hard to explain."

"Just try sweetheart. No matter what it is, know this… I love you Mackenzie Lambert." He whispered in her ear and kissed the top of her head.

Mac felt her cheeks burn and a tear slid down her cheek. It was the first time anyone who wasn't family, told her that they loved her. "I love you too, Aaron." She turned to face him and he leaned down and kissed her deeply. When they broke the kiss, he looked deep into her eyes and she knew she could tell him. "I'm a little embarrassed."

"About?" He wrapped his arms around his arms tightly around her waist, once again.

"Aaron, I'm just gonna come out and say it because I can't fine a better way to say it."

"Okay." He whispered. He had an idea of what she was so worried about, but it was for her to say, so he'd wait for her to say it.

His words calmed her. Mac took another deep breath. This time it was to calm herself a bit. "I'm a virgin." She whispered hoarsely. "I've never done anything before, and with the way things are going between us, I'm a little scared."

Aaron could feel her quiver and tense up as she told him what he was guessing was her deepest secret. It shocked him a little, but not as much as he probably thought it would've. He gently turned her around to face him. "Mac, look at me." He gently lifted her head as she had buried it in his chest. "I love you. That means all of you, not matter what."

"I thought…"

"That I wouldn't want to be with you because of it?" He finished her thought.

She sniffled and nodded. He brushed away the hair that had fallen in her face, and kissed her gently, yet the kiss was filled with his love and passion for her. "Mac, I don't mind if you're a virgin. I'm willing to wait for that stage of our relationship. I'll wait as long as I have to for you to be ready."

She smiled. "Really?"

He nodded. "It's something very special. To be honest I wish I would've waited, but that's my past. I really would like my future to be with you."

Mac was a little confused, and Aaron could see the confusion on her face. He had been planning on asking her later, but now was as good a time as any. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the promise ring he had chosen out two weeks ago. It was a simple heart shaped opal, over it were two wave-shaped lines of tiny diamonds. He took her left hand and gently held it. "Mac, I know we haven't been together that long."

"_5 months."_ She silently thought to herself. _"5 amazing months."_

He showed her the ring. "I want to promise you, here and now, that I'm not leaving. That I will be here for you through it all. I love you, and one day, when the time is right, I want to make you my wife."

"Oh my God, Aaron!" She gasped. "It's beautiful." She whispered as he gently slid the promise ring on her left ring finger.

"It's much more beautiful now that it's on your finger." He kissed her hand. "You're everything to me."

She wrapped his arms around his neck. "I love you Aaron, so much. Thank you." Then she kissed him deeply.

He pulled her closer to him. "I'll wait for you for everything else. We'll go at your pace." He whispered. He rotated the ring so it sat perfectly on her slender finger. "On the inside of the band is an inscription. It reads: 'Today, Tomorrow and Forever. My heart is yours. A+M'."

Mac slid the promise ring over her knuckle and looked at the inside of the band. In the setting sun's light, she could read the tiny lettering. "Oh Aaron." She slid the ring back onto her finger. "This is the most amazing thing anyone's ever given, done or said to me."

"Only the best for you." He held her close, breathing in her intoxicating scent.

They watched as the twinkling stars began to appear. They sat and whispered to each other. It was an amazing night for both of them. Soon Mac noticed a bunch of shooting stars. She pointed to them. "Aaron, look. Shooting stars!"

He smiled. "Make a wish sweetheart."

Mac closed her eyes and made a wish. She looked up at him. "You need to make one too." She said.

"Why? Everything I've ever wanted is right here in my arms." And he leaned down again, and kissed her. This time with more passion than ever before.

The stars kept shooting across the sky, and fireworks, only they could see, were shooting off into the night.

* * *

_**A/N: So this concludes Ch. 6. Yes, lots of fluff, a small fight and many words of wisdom. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please Read and Review!**_

_**Song base: Fell Right Into You by Jessie Farrell**_

_**Happy Easter and lots of love!**_

_**Nicole**_


	7. Today Was A Fairytale

**A/N: Well, finally we can have Ch 7. This one will be a few weeks after last chapter, and we'll have it more focused on Lynn and Dave. Big surprises, little treasured moments and lots of love from our fave characters!**

**Dedicated as always to MissAmieB and this chapter is all yours hun!**

**Also, I do not own CM, as much as I wish I did!**

**Love you all!**

**Nicole**

* * *

**A & M Photography and Graphics:**

* * *

"Mac!" Lynn called out.

"In the darkroom!" Mac replied. She was trying to finish this last roll of film development before heading into the staff meeting that Lynn had called out of the blue.

"Hurry up!" Lynn was rushing around. She needed Cole and Mac's help pronto. It was the day before the big unveiling of their latest project for the city, and on top of it, she was trying to plan Dave's surprise 50th birthday party.

Mac finished hanging the negatives and rushed out of the darkroom, almost crashing head on into Haley. After last month's encounter, the women were civil towards each other, and respected each other, despite how they may have really felt considering their roles in Aaron's life. "Sorry." Mac sighed. "Let's get this over with, then you can start your holidays."

"Thanks again Mac. It means a lot to get the time off on such short notice."

"Family comes first." Mac let the receptionist into Lynn's office, then closed the door behind her.

"Alright Lynn? What's the huge emergency?" Mac sighed.

"I need final opinions, then I need major help sending out the final copies of the presentations."

"Opinions on what?" Cole asked as he entered the room. He had just gotten in from an overnight trip to L.A. to hand in some final designs for a movie promotion that Lynn had been dumped on by another company.

Lynn unveiled a large cardboard. "This."

The display was amazing. It was to promote child safety in the community. The colors were vibrant and the photographs captured the heart. "Lynn! It's perfect!" Mac exclaimed.

"It's better than what they asked you for." Haley piped up.

"Really?" Lynn looked at it again. She still thought it was missing something.

"Lynn, you've outdone yourself again." Cole high-fived her. "They will be blown away!"

"Thanks guys." Lynn blushed. "So, Haley, before you headed out to Tacoma, could you do me a favor, and call the Council, tell them they're ready for production?"

Haley nodded. "Sure thing. Thanks guys." She waved and headed out the door.

Once she was gone, Lynn turned to the remaining members of their team. "I have another big project, only this time, it's not company or public service."

"Ok?" Mac was a little confused.

"What's up?"

"It's Dave's 50th birthday next weekend."

"Oh boy." Mac hid her face.

"What?" Cole asked.

Lynn giggled. "I want to throw him a surprise birthday party."

"That's what." Mac sighed. "Hun, you want to throw a huge party like that, and have it perfect in a week?"

Lynn nodded ecstatically. "Come on Mac! We did it for your Dad."

"Yeah, when we were teenagers. It was cheesy." Mac remembered in horrific detail all that had been her father's 50th birthday fiasco.

"He loved it!" Lynn was so pumped.

Mac didn't have the heart to say no. "Okay, we'll do it. But I'm getting Aaron's help on it."

"Thank you!" Lynn squealed in glee.

"Count me in." Cole smiled. "I won't say no to a party."

"Alright then. Let's get planning!"

So the rest of that day, Lynn divided up the tasks. Her task was to keep Dave busy for as long as possible, while Cole rounded up some food and music. Aaron and Mac were busy in charge of guests, location and making sure no one spoiled the surprise.

Aaron laughed when Lynn handed him the list of things he was to pick up. "Does Dave really need all this?"

Lynn nodded. "Of course! Now hop to it! He and I will be back in an hour or so."

"An hour!" Mac exclaimed. "Lynn, we may work in the department of near impossible, but this ain't going to be thrown together in an hour."

"Do your best. It's all he'll give me for shopping."

"Dave's taking you shopping?" Aaron laughed. "Oh boy. Well good luck to you."

"Why do I need luck?" Lynn smirked. "It's just shopping." She took off to meet Dave in the driveway.

Aaron wrapped his arms around Mac. "She has no idea what Dave's definition of 'shopping' is."

Mac looked up at him. "Huh?"

"You'll hear all about it tonight. Trust me." Aaron laughed. The two of them headed out to collect the items on their list.

* * *

**Dave and Lynn…**

* * *

"Dave, where are we going?"

"Shopping."

"Alright, I get that, but this is like a huge fancy shopping center. I can't afford any of this." She blushed.

"Who said I was letting you buy anything?"

"Dave. You don't have to do this. You've spoiled me so much already."

"Buying you dinner, and taking you to the theatres doesn't count as spoiling bella."

"Then what does?" Lynn slipped her arm through his as they walked by all the very high-end boutiques.

"Me buying you some new clothes, maybe some jewelry."

"Why?"

"Because you'll need some very fancy things in a few weeks."

"Um. Dave, is there something you forgot to tell me?" She looked at him.

"I was going to ask you tonight, in a very creative way, but since you insisted on going shopping now, I figured I'd just do it now." He stopped her and looked at her genuinely. "I have a very important family affair coming up."

Lynn blushed. "Dave, I'm not seeing how that requires me to need new clothes."

"Hear me out bella. I've never been one to attend these things. My family is hosting a very important diplomatic and significant civil gala, honoring some of the world's best philanthropists. My job, is to not only host this event but to be honored as well."

"Oh. Wow. David." She blushed. "I'd like that very much."

"Good, now shall we go get some gowns for the events, some swimsuits for the beach and some other little trinkets that I'll see fit to spoil you with."

She giggled. The first stop was to pick out a formal ball gown for the actual gala. Dave wanted to have the perfect gown chosen out first. Dave laughed as Lynn squealed upon entering the boutique.

"Agent Rossi." A petite brunette stepped forward. "Pleasure. How may we help your escort this time?"

"Escort?" Lynn's excitement dropped.

Dave coughed and scowled at the brunette. "Maia. Lynn is not my escort for the evening. She's my girlfriend, and you'll treat her as such."

Maia bowed. "Of course. Sorry. My name is Maia."

"Aislynn, or you can call me Lynn."

"Of course. What style of gown are you looking for?"

Lynn hadn't thought about a style. She just knew what color. "I'm not sure on a style. But I want a red gown. A vibrant cherry red."

"Of course. That color will do wonders for your complexion and for your figure. You're so toned." Maia took Lynn by the arm. "I'm jealous."

Lynn wasn't sure if the saleswoman was being honest or not, but she'd take the compliment no matter what. "Thanks."

Maia placed Lynn in a large mirrored dressing room. "I'll be right back with a variety of styles and shapes."

"Maia." Lynn stopped her. "I want it to be classy but sexy. Not trashy."

"Of course." Maia smiled softly. She wasn't going to piss off Agent Rossi's girlfriend. Especially not when his family employed her. She gathered as many cherry red gowns as she could, as well as a couple other shades of red just to bed safe and headed back to the fitting room. She knocked on the door. "Lynn?"

"Yep. Still here."

Maia pushed open the door and set about hanging the gowns. She grabbed an off the shoulder, satin gown and extended it to Lynn. "Let's try this one first."

She helped Lynn slip into it. The gown fit like a glove. Lynn twirled in the mirror. She felt like a princess in a fairy tale. "It's beautiful."

"It suits you."

Lynn went to leave the dressing room. "Where are you going?" Maia asked.

"To show Dave. Ask his opinion."

"He never gives his opinion."

"Why?" Lynn was a little confused.

"Because, he likes to be surprised at the events."

That surprised Lynn a little bit. "I see. Well he said I'd need a few different gowns."

"Of course. We'll pick out the main one first. Then we'll branch out. I think though, you should probably also get one little black dress, just for safety's sake."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"I'll collect a couple small numbers. How do you feel about purple or cerulean for other colors."

"I like pretty much anything. Just no pink, no yellow and no orange. I don't want to look like a traffic cone."

"Fair enough. I'll be right back. You can try some other gowns on, and put them in the order that you prefer them."

"Thanks Maia. I've never really done this kinda shopping before."

"Don't worry about it." Maia smiled. "It's not everyday that you get Agent Rossi in here letting you choose anything and everything that your heart desires." Maia left the room to go collect more gowns.

"Maia." Dave's voice came from the main gown room.

"Yes sir."

"I hope you're treating her well." Dave tapped his foot.

"Of course. I'm just collecting more gowns, since you'll need her in more than one over the week."

"Thank you." Dave went back to reading his paper.

Maia collected some different shades of purple and cerulean blue gowns, as well as a few little black numbers. She returned to the dressing room. By that point Lynn had narrowed her red ball gown selection down to three. "I see we've accomplished a lot while I was gone."

"I don't like the really slinky ones. But I so like that first one. It really fit nice and the strap is classy. I hate how strapless always need to be pulled up."

"Fair enough. I'll put the 'no's away, and let you try some of these on."

"Thanks again Maia." Lynn was about to try on one of the little black dresses. "Oh wait. Can I ask your opinion on something?"

Maia stopped. "Of course. How can I help?"

"Is Dave within hearing range?"

Maia shook her head. "Nope."

"Good. I'm throwing him a surprise party, the only thing I don't know is if I should do more of a formal, suit and dress type, or a barbeque."

"A very good question. Both suit him. I'd go with a semi-formal potluck or barbeque. This way, you can dress up and have the very Italian part show, but also appeal to his manly side by not forcing him into a tux. Which he hates by the way."

"Thanks Maia. Means a lot."

"No problem. If you need something for that party too, just give me a shout, and I'll find something fun, sweet, sexy but chic."

"If you could, I'd really appreciate it."

Maia nodded and headed out to find the perfect birthday party dress. This one would be fun and chic.

Lynn tried on the one purple gown that really caught her eye. It was a fitted orchid silk gown. The skirt flowed naturally from the hips, with black lace trim, a shaped neckline with beading and rhinestones. The straps crisscrossed in her back with black lace and beads. This one was definitely a keeper. Even if it wasn't the 'main' ball gown, this one was one she was buying. She then went about looking at the cerulean ones. There weren't that many blue gowns that she liked, but the one with a halter neck made from satin and organza stood out. She took it and tried it on. The gown hugged her curves. It was gathered across the belly to her left hip. On the hip sat a brilliant rose shaped clasp. The slit of the skirt went just above the knee and the skirt flowed around her. It was definitely something she pictured seeing people doing ballroom dancing in. There were a few pearls and gems along the neckline and along the slit. This was also a keeper. Now she needed to narrow down the red formal gown. She went back her final three choices. She grabbed the one shoulder gown she first tried on. She put it back on and twirled in the mirror. This dress had a very fitted bodice that hugged her full bosom perfectly, accentuating how well endowed she really was without making it look like she was stuffing her bra. The gold, silver and bronze beadwork and embroidery of the bodice twinkled in the lights of the dressing room. The skirt was fuller, a bunch of crinoline made it swell. She felt it almost as if she was taking back into "Gone With The Wind". The full skirt had large amount of beadwork too. There was also a tiny bit of lace detailing at the bottom of the skirt, just to add a little extra feminine while to it. She twirled around, admiring her reflection. She could almost picture Dave and her together at the gala in this gown. She looked at the others, and decided that once and for all, this was THE gown. She squealed. "It's perfect!"

"I see we made a decision." Maia laughed coming back into the room with a rainbow of little dresses.

"I love this one shouldered one. It's just so perfect."

"I knew you'd like it. And the orchid and cerulean ones too?"

"If you don't mind."

"Not a problem, Lynn. I'm really happy that you've found these. Now, we just need a little black one and your surprise birthday one."

"Oh, right. I forgot." Lynn blushed.

"I'll go get these put aside for you and let you choose the last ones."

Lynn knew that having at least one little black dress was going to be very important. She'd be able to make use of it again and again throughout her career and her time with Dave. Though, she figured at the way this man was spoiling her, she'd get a new dress whenever she'd need it. But she wasn't going to be one of those girls that used her man for his wealth. She'd find a way to pay him back for all these. Even if it meant being in his debt for life. She then felt a twang of guilt as she realized that she didn't know how much each of those gowns was. She didn't want to choose the most expensive gowns. She'd ask Maia the prices when she came back. She found two very cute, flattering black dresses. One was a very fitted, short skirt with sheer flouncy cap sleeves while the other was knee-length with soft lace and tiny flowers forming a small belt for the empire waist. Both of them were missing price tags. She figured she'd ask Maia again, but she had a sneaky feeling about the fact that Dave insisted on spoiling her, that she'd never know the real value of these gowns.

"Good on the black ones?" Maia asked, as she came back.

"Yep. I'll take the shorter satin one, and the lace floral one."

"Perfect. Did you decide on the party one yet?"

"No. I've been thinking."

"About?" Maia asked as she took the black dresses to be placed with the rest of Lynn's order.

"That my taste is suddenly going to be hurting Dave's pockets a lot. These gowns are so pricey."

Maia suddenly came to realized just how special this girl was to Dave. "You're different."

Lynn cocked her head to the side. "How so?"

"Every other woman who has been a date, or girlfriend of Dave's has never once care about a price tag. Or if they did, they wanted it to be the most expensive, extravagant ones out there. They wanted trashy and slinky. They wanted to be noticed."

"Oh."

"When you told me that you didn't want strapless or slinky, and when you didn't mention designers or price tags, I figured maybe Dave had told you something. But obviously, his taste in woman has changed drastically. It's a good thing. Don't be insulted." Maia said as she explained. "The cost really is no object to him. You could choose a two million dollar gown, which you didn't, but still he'd buy it for you."

"I don't want to be one of those girls."

"You aren't. The gowns you chose are yours because they suit you, and your style. Price doesn't matter. He just wants you happy, and seeing you the way you were a couple minutes ago. Definitely will be worth more than any of his bestsellers."

"Thanks Maia."

"No problem. I've known Dave almost all my life. His family helped get me through design and fashion school, so I could do these gowns."

"Wait. These are all your designs?" Lynn's jaw dropped.

"Yes." Maia's cheeks filled with a little color. "I designed each and every one of these gowns. They are each unique in their own way. And they are my way of bringing beauty to the world. If Dave hadn't seen my talent when I was young, I wouldn't be here to make brides glow, proms sparkle or dreams like yours come true."

Lynn could feel tears of happiness building up behind her eyes. "Thank you so much."

"Now, for his birthday, I think this dress is the one." Maia handed her the most exclusive dress in her collection. "Try it on."

Lynn slipped into it. "It's amazing."

"Perfect. It's never been released to the public until now. It's my gift to you."

"I can't accept this." Lynn stammered.

"You must. It's for Dave."

"But. But."

"No buts." Maia smiled. "It's perfect for you."

"Thank you so much."

"Not a problem. Just let me fill out some papers here, and we'll be sending you and Prince Charming on your merry ways to finish the rest of your shopping."

"Thanks again!" Lynn twirled around in the mirror one last time. This was going to be perfect.

The rest of the trip went relatively quickly. She bought a few pairs of practical, but classy black dress shoes. No heels, as she strictly hated being made to waddle in them. She choose little ballet flats for each gown and a pair of nice wedge sandals to go with the new bathing suit Dave had insisted on buying her as well. The last stop was the jewelry store. This one worried Lynn a little.

"Dave, I have jewelry. I'll be fine."

"No, I want to buy you something special for that night."

"But you don't know what my gown looks like."

"Does that matter?" He kissed her lightly.

"I guess not." She sighed and followed him into the tiny boutique.

The room sparkled and shone with gems of all shapes, sizes and colors. There were necklaces, pendants, bracelets, bangles, earrings and rings galore. Lynn was a little overwhelmed at the amount of sparkles.

"You alright love?" Dave asked, putting his arm around her waist.

"It's just a lot of shine and sparkle."

"Yes. Well, you need three separate pieces don't you?"

"Why three?" Lynn looked at him in shock. "Can't we just get one?"

"Why?" He kissed her fully and deeply. "I told you I'm spoiling you."

"You have Dave. You really have. I've never had any one person do any of this sorta of stuff for me or even with me when I needed stuff for prom. I went alone with Mac and I didn't get to choose based on what I wanted. I only got to choose on my cash flow."

Dave felt her pain. "I'm not trying to shower you with gifts because I have the money. I'm doing it because I want to. I want you to have these things because you deserve them."

"I'd be happy with a candy necklace from the local corner store." She giggled.

"I'll get you one of those too, but let's get some real stuff to go for the gala."

"Fine." She mocked pouted. At this point, what was supposed to be an hour only, had taken up her entire morning, afternoon, and they were now into the early evening.

"David!" A very feminine, yet masculine voice caused Lynn to job.

"Marcus." Dave shook his head.

"Dave." Lynn whispered. "Um… he's very…"

"Yes darling, I'm very gay, but I know my gems, diamonds and platinum, so how can I help you this evening." Marcus grinned, stopping to kiss Lynn's hand, then shaking Dave's.

"Yes. Yes. Thank you Marcus. We need gala style gems." Dave shook his head. "And listen to the lady, she doesn't want gaudy, huge or obvious."

"Yes David. Now, go be a good little profiler and admire some of the new Sudoku's in my office."

Dave laughed. "Perfect. I'll be close by if you need me, bella. Be good Marcus."

Marcus shooed Dave away before sitting Lynn down at a large boudoir. "Now. Gala gown color?"

"Cherry."

"Beads?" Marcus was taking notes.

"Gold, silver and copper tones."

"Excellent. I'll be right back."

Within minutes, the jewelry storeowner returned with two separate sets. The first was a platinum and diamond set that could probably blind someone if the lights hit it the wrong way.

"No." She said simply.

"But you haven't even tried it." Marcus protested.

"I don't care. It's not my style. I don't want to blind the photographers when they're snapping shots. I want something simple."

"Yes ma'am." Marcus whined a little. He took out the other set. It was simple by his taste. It wasn't something he'd personally want to sell, but he wasn't about to piss off Dave's girlfriend over simply taste in bling.

Lynn looked at the second set. It was more her. It was triple colored gold with tiny hearts of diamonds and a elegant rose shaped pendant that was also encrusted in diamonds. The earrings matched the rose. They were tiny little diamonds that held a small version of the rose at the end. They weren't too long and just sparkled enough.

"I like this one."

"I see."

"You don't approve?"

"It's not Dave's usual taste."

"I'm not his usual dates either." Lynn tapped her foot. "I would like a matching bracelet to go with it."

"I'll put them together." Marcus sighed. "Anything else."

"I need something with sapphires, and another set with alexandrite. Both white gold. Both simple. Preferably a simply chain with a pendant and matching earrings."

"Alexandrite? You don't want amethyst?"

"Alexandrite is unique. I want unique."

"Of course." Marcus nodded. "I'll be right back."

A woman who knew the rarity of alexandrite. Maybe Dave hadn't found a bimbo this time. Marcus found a couple different sapphire ones. Alexandrite was going to be a different story. He only had one piece of jewelry with the stone. He gently removed it from the box and went back to where Lynn was sitting. "Here are the sapphire ones." He put the velvet boxes in front of her.

She looked at them carefully. She knew this man was judging her, and she didn't care what he thought. She looked at the one. It was a really large floral shaped pendant and it was not going to go well with her dress. She then looked at the second one. It was a small heart shaped pendant that screamed 'Titanic'. The last one caught her attention. It was a white gold chain that had a tear drop shaped, bright blue sapphire that was held to the chain with a few smaller teardrop diamonds. The earrings with simple sapphire tear drops that hung from tiny loops. "These." She pointed to the last set.

"A fine choice." Marcus smiled slightly.

Lynn tapped her fingers on the counter. "Do you have an alexandrite?"

"Yes." He took the last box and opened it. The box revealed a very delicate chain and pendant. The pendant was a delicate fleur de lis filled with alexandrite. Each individual tiny stone changed in the light. The earrings we small fleur de lis studs. The stones were rare and this set alone was the most valuable in the store.

Lynn gently stroked it. "It's exactly what I need."

"Very well." He gathered the chosen pieces. "I'll let David know that we're done."

"Thank you." Lynn smiled.

Marcus headed back and put the pieces into the allotted spot for the Rossi orders. "David."

"Marcus." David greeted his old friend.

"She is vindictive and does not let me do my job." Marcus pouted.

Dave laughed. "Good. You can't always win. What did she end up choosing?"

"My rarer pieces, and the less obvious ones."

"She didn't go for the bling?" Dave feigned shock. "I told you. Simple."

"But I'm used to the others."

"She's not them. I love her Marcus, you'll do well to remember that."

"Of course. I charged the prices to your account and they'll be ready for pick up tomorrow."

"Good. Thank you Marcus." Dave shook his hand, and went to lead Lynn out of the boutique and back to the car to go home.

Once at the car, Dave kissed her deeply. "Did you have fun love?"

She nodded. "Thank you Dave. So much. It was just amazing."

"Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you managed to send the people I do business with into shock. And it made my day."

"Oh." Lynn started to giggle. "I didn't mean to insult any of them."

"They had it coming. They needed to be put in their place. So thank you." He leaned down and kissed her deeply.

She wrapped her arms around him and gently nibbled on his lower lip. "I love you Dave."

"I love you too Aislynn. Cara Mia Bella." He kissed her again, before opening the car door. "Let's go make sure everything else is going according to plan."

The two headed off into the evening air and headed home to enjoy a night of relaxation and cuddling.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so that didn't go exactly like I had planned, but it worked, so that's Ch. 7. Now, next chapter will actually be Dave's 50****th**** birthday party. He's 52 in season 3 of the show, so this does make sense, in my mind anyhow. Please follow as best as you can. **

**Chapter's inspiration:**

"**Today Was A Fairytale" by Taylor Swift.**

**Please read and review!**

**Love always!**

**Nicole**


	8. My Kinda Party

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! Guess what! It's update time!**

**It's the weekend… ish… of Dave's 50****th**** birthday! YAY! So there's going to be a Lynn/Dave aspect and a Hotch/Mac aspect… for a very good reason! Hope you all enjoy it!**

**Still don't own CM. Still dedicated to MissAmieB!**

**Hope you like it Amie!**

**Love always, Nicole**

**PS… please read and review!**

* * *

It was finally Friday. Dave's birthday party was less than twenty-four hours away and Lynn was freaking out. The food was already getting prepared, the outfits were chosen, the cake was being baked and yet, she didn't have a gift for him yet.

"Mac!" She called down the hall to see if Mac had any ideas.

"She's busy Lynn." Aaron called back.

"Aaron?" Lynn walked out into the hallway. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were in Tampa on a case?"

"We just got back this morning." He smiled. "Mac's in the darkroom and she's swearing up a storm. Something about someone put the developer in the wrong spot and she's going to have to redo all of her prints."

Lynn's mouth formed an 'O'. "Not good."

"Not one bit. Can I be of any help?" He asked.

Lynn sighed. "What do I get Dave for his birthday?"

Aaron looked at her. "You're throwing him a huge surprise party. I think he'll be grateful with that."

"I want to give him an actual gift Aaron."

Aaron thought about it. "Give him a key."

"A key?" Lynn arched her eyebrow.

"Yes. Well two. One a symbolic key… the other a real key."

Lynn was still trying to figure it out.

Aaron smirked. "Give him a copy of your house key. It'll show him you're serious about the relationship, and invites him to come over and be with you whenever. The symbolic key would be the key to your heart."

Lynn's eyes widened. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you were over-analyzing everything." Mac's voice came from the doorway of the darkroom.

"Mac, you're not helping." Lynn moaned.

"You're whining because you know I'm right." Mac popped her head out of the darkroom. "Take his advice, and I approve and will permit you to give Dave a key… mainly because I gave Aaron a copy before he left for Tampa last week."

Lynn exclaimed. "Mackenzie!"

"Well. We've been doing this constant phone tag, driving to each other's places tag and I got tired of it. I was going to suggest you get Dave a key earlier, but you've been spazzing out about the party and about your big trip with him that you haven't given me a chance. You need to stop, breathe and calm down, or I'll get Aaron to taze you."

Lynn took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Mac smiled and nodded. "Good girl." Mac went over and hugged her. "Now keep doing that. Take Aaron's advice and go get the keys. I'll see you at the house later tonight." She then leaned in and whispered. "I need to talk to you about something important."

Lynn smiled and nodded. "Sure thing. Good luck with those shots."

Mac scowled at her and went to Aaron's side. He put his arms around her. "Everything okay, love?" He asked.

She sighed. "It's just these shots won't be done on time."

He lifted her chin. "Sweetheart, is there something I can do to help?"

Mac thought about it. "If I show you the steps for developing the prints, think you do that, while I finish working on the enlargements?"

He smiled. "I think I can do that. Where's Cole?"

"He got called home. His sister was in a car accident two days ago. It's pretty serious."

"Ah, so you're alone to do all of this?"

She nodded again. "But I guess I can show you what I do."

"I'd like that, a lot." He leaned down and kissed her soft cherry-colored lips.

She flushed red again. If only he knew what she had planned for them this weekend. But it was a surprise so it was between her and Lynn, once she told her tonight. She took his hand and led him back to the darkroom. They stepped into the rotating door, and it was a tight fit, but with his arms around her, it was perfect. Mac set about showing Aaron how to develop her prints, then she set about setting up her enlargers to make the last prints so they could go home.

Lynn quickly wrapped up making her special card for Dave then locked up her office and headed to Mac's car. She couldn't wait until she could get her own again, but right now, she didn't actually have time to go car hunting. She started up the engine and headed to the local key cutters. She quickly had the house key copied. While the attendant made that one, she looked around to see if they had something that could be the "Key to Her Heart". Just as the attendant was finishing cutting the first key, she spotted the perfect thing. It was an antique brass key. She looked up and asked. "Excuse me, how much for this key?" She pointed to the brass key in the display case.

The attendant came and gave her the house key and it's copy, then looked at the key Lynn was signaling. "It's $150.00."

The price was a little staggering, but for her it was perfect. "I'll take it too."

The attendant was a little shocked, but nodded and took the key out of the case. "Is that everything, Miss?"

She nodded. "Perfect. Yes, thank you." She handed him her credit card and then signed the slip. She collected her treasures and headed home. This was going to be the best weekend ever.

* * *

**Mac and Aaron…**

"Finally." Mac sighed. She flicked on the overhead white light and looked at their hard work. Twenty-five black and white prints were now hanging to dry. Each one capturing the moment of joy for this newly wed couple.

"You're amazing." Aaron wrapped his arms around her waist.

She looked up at him. "How so?"

"Your work."

"It's nothing special Aaron." She whispered.

He shook his head. "Mac, you don't know how special it is. You take something that most people think is extinct and turn it into something precious and unique."

Mac felt her cheeks flush with warmth and she swore she was a deep crimson. "Aaron." She whispered, hoarsely.

He pulled her close to him and just held her. "I love you Mac."

She nuzzled her head into his chest. "I love you too, Aaron, so much."

He lifted her chin and gently, but passionately kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening their kiss.

When they finally broke apart, Aaron shut the lights off and took her hand and the happy couple headed out to his car, so they could go and finishing setting up for the following nights big festivities.

* * *

**Later that evening…**

Aaron had just left after helping Mac make supper and once they ate, he did the dishes for them. He thanked Mac for a great night and promised that he'd make sure Rossi was here right at 6pm and to make sure that he knew nothing of what Lynn had planned. Once Mac returned from walking Aaron to his car, she cornered Lynn. "Lynn, we need to talk… like now. It's really important."

Lynn looked up from the list she was making for the next night. "Is everything okay hun?"

Mac nodded. "I need your advice and help."

Lynn put the list down. "Sure, anything. What's up?"

"I want to take the next step with Aaron."

"Marriage?" Lynn asked, a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Not marriage. We already know that's in the future. Remember?" She showed her the promise ring once again.

"Right. Then what step are you talking about?"

Mac sat next to her best friend. "Sex."

Lynn gasped, dropping all the papers she had in her arms. "What? Mac? Are you serious? Oh my GOD!"

"Calm down. Don't give yourself a heart attack. I'm asking you for advice."

"Yes, but Mac… it's a huge step. You'll be giving him something unique and special. Are you 100% sure that you want to do this?"

Mac nodded. "Yes. I want to do it. I want it to be Aaron. Lynn, I love him."

"Okay." Lynn sighed. "What else do you need to know?"

"I'm completely and totally sexually incompetent. I know nothing." Mac thought that statement over. "Well, almost nothing."

"Okay, well what do you know?"

"Only what I know from health class in school. I know what happens to him to make him hard, I know what happens for me to get aroused. I know where he puts it, and that's about it."

"Oh boy." Lynn put all her stuff down. "We have a lot of work to do. When were you planning on seducing your tall, dark and handsome FBI agent?"

"Tomorrow night."

Lynn fell off her chair. "Mac. Oh God. Um. Have you done any research on the subject?"

"Like looking at books?"

"I was thinking more like, have you watched any porn lately?"

Mac's cheeks burned again. "Um, no."

"I think you should. Just to have an idea."

"Okay, then what?"

"Then I think you should prepare yourself mentally for what you're going to be doing."

"I've been doing that for the last couple days." Mac smiled.

"Okay, next. What's your plan on seducing him?"

Mac's smile faded a little. "That's where I need help."

Lynn smiled. "Okay, come with me. We're going to do some work here." She took her best friend's hand and led her upstairs. "First, you need something sultry to wear. Not too slutty." When they got to Lynn's room, Lynn sat Mac on the bed, while she raided her closet. Clothes flew in every direction. Finally Lynn had three outfits for Mac to choose from. "Okay, so we have three choices. Luckily, we're the same size. So, here are your choices."

The first outfit Lynn showed her was an emerald green summer dress. It was knee length and had tiny gold pineapples all over the skirt. "Try it on." Lynn extended it.

Mac took the dress, told Lynn to turn around, and she quickly tried the dress on. Lynn turned around and faced her. Mac looked in the full mirror. "I don't think so. The green's clashing with my streaks."

"And I don't think pineapples are really your style." Lynn snickered.

"Shut up, Lynn." Mac laughed. She took the dress off and tried on the next outfit. This one was another dress. It was an orchid purple top, with a black and silver lace detailed skirt. It was just above the knee and had a rhinestone tie halter strap. The dress hugged her curves. She looked in the mirror. It accented her eyes, brought out the purple in her hair and the deep sun-kissed color of her skin.

Lynn's jaw dropped. "I think that's the one."

"But I thought we had three to choose from?"

"Uh, yeah, but honey, that dress is perfect!" Lynn giggled. She tossed the blue top and skirt onto the rest of the clothes.

Mac spun around again to take in the full look. "I think it's missing something."

Lynn looked at the outfit. "Shoes, and I think something for your hair." Lynn dug around in her closet. She emerged with a pair of black lace flats. "Here, try these on while I get the headband that goes with that dress."

Mac slipped the ballet flats on, they added to the full look. She wasn't used to dresses and really girly clothes. She was used to jeans, capris and sneakers. Aaron hadn't really seen her in truly feminine apparel so she could only pray that it affected him the way she was hoping it would. Lynn returned at the point and handed her a purple flower attached to a slim black headband.

"Here." Lynn signaled Mac to let her put the hairpiece in. Once Lynn had it positioned the right way. "There we go." Lynn spun Mac around and they both admired the final look in the mirror. "It's perfect." They said in unison.

Both women burst into fits of laughter. They needed a few moments to calm down.

"Alright Mac. You've got the outfit, shows, and accessories. All you need to do tomorrow is style your hair, and put some make-up on, and you'll be set."

"Lynn, before we hit the hay, I have another question."

"Shoot." Lynn smiled as she was putting clothes back into her closet.

"How do I pleasure him?"

"What do you mean?" Lynn hung the last of the tops in the closest, and set about putting the pants and skirts in.

"Oral sex."

Lynn snickered. "Honey, if you try that all I can do is recommend is don't use your teeth and imagine it's a Popsicle."

Mac cocked her head to the side. "A Popsicle? Really?"

"That, or a banana."

Mac laughed. "Got it. Penis= Popsicle."

Now it was Lynn's turn to laugh. "Sweetie, don't call it a penis. Too technical."

"Then what am I supposed to call it?"

"That is for you and Aaron to discuss. Not me." Lynn grabbed her dresses to put back. "Now, bed. Tomorrow morning will come early, and we have lots to do."

"Yep. And we're still on to do each other's hair and make-up?" Mac asked.

Lynn nodded. "Oh definitely!" She hugged Mac. "Night sweetie. Sleep tight and sweet dreams. I love you!"

"Love you too Lynn! Night." With that Mac went to her room, and hung up her outfit and quickly changed into her nightgown. She grabbed her laptop and set about taking Lynn's advice. She wanted to make sure tomorrow night was going to be perfect, for her and Aaron, and for Dave and Lynn.

Lynn laid out her dress that had been gifted to her. Grabbed her new wedge sandals and hair clips. Everything was laid out and ready for the next morning. She was so thankful to have Mac and Aaron helping her out with all of this. Even Dave's mother was in on it. She was going to keep Dave pre-occupied while they set up, and she'd arrive later that evening to celebrate with all of them. Dave had insisted that Lynn meet Mama and it had gone well. She felt a twinge of pain for Mac. She hadn't met Aaron's family yet, but Aaron kept insisting it was for her own good that she didn't meet his parents yet. Lynn and Mac had both met Aaron's brother, Sean, while he had been in town recently. He seemed like a great guy, and welcomed Mac warmly to their family. Lynn was then twinged with guilt again. Mac had just shared her most intimate plans with her, yet Lynn hadn't revealed what she had planned for Dave's ultimate gift. She got changed into her nightclothes and turned out the lights.

* * *

**Saturday Morning…**

Aaron arrived at 7:30 that morning. It wasn't unusual for him to be up and about this early in the morning, but today was special. In a few weeks, Mac and he would be attending a huge gala for her work. This gala was supposed to be a week ago, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it had to be moved to a later date. Neither he nor Mac were really upset because it gave them a little more time to prepare, and for him, it gave him time to find the special gift he planned on giving her that night, since the gala happened to fall onto their six month anniversary. He couldn't believe time had gone by so fast, but they had made it through. He was happier than he had been in years. He walked up the steps to the girls' house and knocked on the door. He waited a few minutes before using the key that Mac had given him. "Hello?" He looked around. Maybe he was too early, but Lynn had asked him to be here for 7:30. "Mac? Lynn?" He asked a little louder.

"Outside!" Came Mac's softened shout.

Aaron made his way through the kitchen to the patio. There he saw the girls had set up most of the tables and decorations. "What time did you two start?"

"We were up at 6." Mac smiled, running up to kiss him.

"I thought we were starting at 8?"

Lynn laughed. "We couldn't sleep."

Aaron shook his head. "You two are bad."

"Well, you can help Lynn, while I go make breakfast." Mac smiled up innocently at him.

He kissed her forehead. "Sounds like a plan." He gently kissed her lips and set about moving the Barbeque from the fence to the middle of the yard. "Lynn, got everything you were needing last night?"

"Yep. Thanks for all your help, it means a lot."

"No problem. Always here for my friends."

Lynn laughed. "I'm pretty sure that Mac is more than just a friend to you. I see how you two look at each other, and how you act around each other."

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Aaron replied, feigning innocence.

"Right. Well just remember, you hurt her… you have to deal with me, with Pen and with Derek."

"I know. Look, Lynn, I have to ask her dad a question… and I know you can guess what it is. I need to be able to get in contact with him. Soon."

Lynn smiled. "I'll call him up here for the upcoming week. He'll say it's okay… and by the way, you have my blessing too."

They were just putting the last tablecloth out when Mac called them in to eat. They ate and laughed. By the time they were done eating and doing the dishes, it was close to noon. They set about preparing the meal for that night. They marinated the steaks and chicken, then Mac made macaroni salad while Lynn boiled the eggs for the egg salad. Aaron peeled potatoes for potato salad. Eventually Pen and Derek showed up with the cake and helped make some other tossed salads. By 4, everything was ready. Pen promised to make sure all the guests ended up in the back yard, and Aaron got ready to go home to change then pick up the guest of honor.

Mac walked him to his car again. "Thanks for all your help." She whispered as she kissed him.

"No problem." He kissed her back, then brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I'll be back at 6."

"I love you."

"Me too, sweetheart." He kissed her again then got into the car and drove off.

Mac went inside to shower and get ready. Guests began to arrive around 4:30. Once Mac and Lynn had both showered, they gathered in their room to do their hair. Lynn's was going to be half up, half down, in loose curls. Mac quickly placed the pins and clips. Once it was all up, she quickly curled the rest. "Perfect!" Lynn squealed when she saw the finished product.

Mac was keeping her hair down. It was naturally curly, so Lynn didn't have to do much. She applied some frizz reducing product to all of Mac's hair, then gently curled some of the stubborn strands. She then placed the flower into the curly black and purple locks, and stepped back. Mac looked up at her. "Is it done?"

"Yep. Now I'm going to do your make-up. Hold still and do not move."

Mac smiled. After what seemed like eternity, Lynn stepped back. "A masterpiece." She spun the chair around so Mac could look in the mirror. "Aaron won't know what hit him."

"Your turn?"

Lynn smiled. "Uh huh." She turned the chair away from the mirror and let Mac set to work. It had been something they'd been doing since they were little. They always did each other's make-up for big events. Lynn's look was going to be very natural, since her dress was very classy. Mac finished applying the lipstick and turned Lynn around to take a look. "Great job!" She got out of the chair and hugged Mac. "I still don't get why you don't wear make-up more often, you're a natural at applying it."

"Because I normally am not seen because of work, so I don't wear make-up."

Lynn laughed "Whatever you say dear."

They then slipped into their shoes, and dresses and watched as time slowly ticked away. When it was 6, they heard the front door open, and they began to make their way down the stairs to greet their guests.

* * *

**Dave and Hotch…**

Hotch quickly went to his place, showered and changed into a pair of clean cut deep blue jeans and a crisp white t-shirt. He then collected his gift for Dave that Mac and he had chosen last week, as well as a gift he had chosen for Mac while he had been in Tampa. He grabbed his shades and keys and headed to go and picked Dave up.

Dave was finally done cutting Mama's lawn, and watering her plants. As much as Dave loved his mother, being called at 7 in the morning to do yard work because the boy who normally did it broke his arm, was not always pleasant. He had cleaned her pool, cut both the front lawn, and the back lawn. He had trimmed all the trees and shrubs. Finally he had weeded her flowerbeds and watered them. By the time he was done it was 5pm. He had been told that supper was at 6 at Lynn's, and that Aaron was supposed to be picking him up at 5:30.

"Thank you Davey." Mama smiled, handing him a glass of cold Iced Tea.

"No problem Mama. Just next time, could you maybe wait til 8 or so to call."

"I'm sorry, David. I forgot you like to sleep in." She smiled. "Oh, you're going to be late aren't you?"

"Not if you allow me to borrow your shower." He smiled.

"Go ahead bambino. I'll watch for Aaron." She smiled wider. "Go, quick. I don't want Aislynn to be angry with Mama because I made you late."

"Lynn won't mind Mama. She likes you." Dave shouted from the guest bedroom's bathroom.

Mama Rossi could hear the water running. She'd tell him when he came back that she really liked Aislynn too. Not too long after Dave had hoped in the shower, Aaron rang the doorbell.

Mama went and answered the door. "Aaron! Welcome bambino. How are you?"

"I'm good Mrs. Rossi." He smiled. "Is Dave ready?"

"First, it's Mama, don't Mrs. Rossi me… and yes, he's just finishing his shower."

"Sorry Mama." Aaron blushed.

"How are things with you and Mackenzie?" Mama asked.

Aaron laughed. "You know how to get straight to the point, don't you?"

Mama nodded. "Of course. You are like a second son to me. I am always curious."

"Things are going well. We're going to a gala honoring her work in a couple weeks."

"And?"

"And, I'm going to ask her to marry me." Hotch whispered.

"Aaron!" Mama shouted with joy. "Oh, that's wonderful!" She got up and hugged him. "You two will be very happy together."

"What's all the hoopla about?" Dave's voice came from the guest bedroom.

"Just talking Davey. Now are you ready?" Mama asked.

"Yes Mama."

Aaron laughed. The one woman that he knew David Rossi was terrified of was his mother.

"I can hear you Hotch." Dave muttered as he came into the sitting room.

"You were supposed to hear that." Aaron laughed. "Come on, let's go before our women decide to skin us alive for making supper late."

"See Davey! I told you Aislynn would be angry if I make you late."

"She won't be mad at you Mama." Dave sighed. "She'll be mad at me, because I took forever to get ready."

"Good. I love you, my son. Have fun tonight. Treat your bella right."

"Yes Mama. I plan on treating Lynn only with respect and love Mama."

"Why you call her Lynn? Her name is a beautiful one, Aislynn, that's what you should be calling her." Mama crossed her arms in front of her. "Same to you Aaron, you call her Mac, but her name is Mackenzie?"

Both men looked at each other and sighed. "Because they asked us to."

"Hm. Very well. Now run along. Have fun, and be safe bambinos." She hugged both men, and then they headed out to Mac and Lynn's.

She smiled. For the first time, she liked Dave's choice and she was happy to see him this happy. She went to her room to get ready. She was happy that Lynn had invited her to join them.

* * *

**Mac and Lynn's…**

Aaron pulled up to Mac and Lynn's. There were no other cars in sight. Probably because Derek and the others had arranged to hide them around the neighborhood, and once the surprise part was over, they'd move them so that people could find their cars. He parked the car, and looked around. There wasn't a sound except for the birds in the trees. Dave got out. "So you gonna ask her soon?" He asked.

Aaron looked over at him. "Ask who what?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about Aaron. Don't play coy with me." Dave laughed as the two walked up the driveway. "I trained you remember."

"Yea. I remember and you'll never let me forget anyhow." Aaron smiled. "Yes, I'm going to ask her at the gala. Now keep your mouth shut, because I want it to be a surprise."

"My lips are sealed. Congrats though." He shook his protégé's hand.

"Thanks, now let's eat." Aaron said the code phrase as they walked in the door.

Mac and Lynn made their way down the stairs. Aaron and Dave felt their jaws drop when they saw their women make their way down the stairs. "Wow." Was all they managed to say.

Lynn's dress was an off the shoulder deep crimson gown, covered with a black and gold lace. It was mid-calf in length and had a slit halfway up her thigh. Her hair was up, and she had slipped a red rose into it over her right ear. The dress was lined with black that they could make out as she walked down the steps. Mac was a vision in the dress Lynn had lent her. It accentuated her feminine curves, brought out the purple in her hair, and the colors brought out the sparkle that shone in her eyes. Dave and Aaron slowly made their way to the stairs.

"Hi." The girls said softly.

"You look beautiful." Aaron whispered.

Dave whispered to Lynn. "You look stunning, cara." He kissed her gently.

"Thank you." Both women whispered to their respective partner.

"Let's eat. We decided since it's gorgeous outside, that we'd take advantage of the beauty and sun."

"Sounds good to me." Dave smiled. He took her hand. Aaron and Mac led the way. They stepped out onto the balcony and signaled that Dave was coming.

Lynn stopped him and put her hands over his eyes.

"What are you doing bella?"

"I want the beauty to take you by surprise." She whispered as she guided him onto the patio.

As she uncovered his eyes, all of their guests shouted. "Surprise! Happy Birthday Dave!"

He took a step back. "Bella? Did you plan all of this?"

"Yep. Do you like it?"

Dave picked her up and spun her around. "I love it." He grinned. "Grazie."

"I love you Dave." She whispered as she kissed him.

Those words took him a little by surprise, but he was so happy he could answer. "I love you too."

They went down and greeted everyone while Mac and Aaron set about to grilling the steaks and chicken. The night's festivities began and everyone was in the best of moods.

As the night wore on, Lynn and Mac were both getting anxious about their plans with their men. Mama Rossi came in around 8 and talked with Lynn and Mac while the men chatted with other FBI agents and friends. They sat and admired what they had done.

"You girls have accomplished the impossible." Mama told them.

They both turned to face her. "What do you mean?" Mac asked.

Lynn nodded. They were both curious.

"I've known Aaron a long time, and my son… well that is pretty obvious. Neither of them have been this happy for a very very long time, mi bambinas." Mama smiled. "I have always dreamed of seeing them this happy." She turned to face Mac. "Mackenzie, Aaron has been hurt, but you've been the cure to that pain. I know how much he loves you." She then pointed to the promise ring that sparkled in the evening light. "That proves it. Go dance with him."

Mac nodded. "Thank you Mama." She got up, hugged Mama, then went to join Aaron and the others. She whispered something to him, causing him to smile then escort her to the makeshift dance floor.

Mama smiled, then turned to Lynn and took her hands. "Aislynn. I don't tell you this because David is my son. I tell you this because it's 100% the truth. He's been through hell. Three ex-wives who destroyed his emotional state, you've brought him back to smiling, and not letting anything bring him down."

"Thank you Mrs. Rossi." Lynn blushed.

"Call me Mama." Mama scolded her. "I can see the way my son eyes you."

Lynn blushed even more.

"Don't blush bambina. He invited you to the gala next month, no?"

Lynn nodded.

"He hasn't taken a woman to that gala since his first wife."

Lynn scratched her head. "But the woman at the dress shop?"

"Maia?" Mama asked.

Lynn nodded.

"That is Dave's first wife." Mama sighed. "That was the only divorce that wasn't bitter. She knows all about the life, but she also doesn't know what Dave has done since they've been separated. Dave always took the girls to that shop, but you're the first one he's taken because you will be with him at the gala."

"Oh." Lynn gasped. She looked to Mama. "I love him. I really do."

"Good. I know he loves you." Mama patted her hand. "He's coming. Have fun to night."

"Thank you Mama." Lynn managed to say before Dave reached the table.

"Everything alright ladies?" Dave smiled, gently putting his hands on Lynn's shoulders, causing her to look up at him, allowing him full access to her lips.

Mama snickered. After Dave broke the kiss, he asked. "Mama, something wrong with me kissing the woman I love?"

"I didn't say a thing my son." Mama smiled. "Go have fun, I think I'll go see how Penelope and Derek are enjoying those beverages." Mama winked at Lynn, who mouthed 'Thank you'.

The night wore on and soon, only the two couples remained. They collected the trash and tidied up the obvious part of the yard, and would clean the rest the next day. Dave and Lynn stayed outside a little longer, admiring the stars.

* * *

**Aaron and Mac…**

Aaron and Mac headed into the kitchen with a pile of utensils from the barbecue.

"Thank you for all your help Aaron." Mac said as they brought the last of them in.

"Anytime sweetheart." He stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her.

She moaned lightly. His touch sent an electric, erotic shock through her whole body. "Aaron." She barely could hear her own voice. Her heart was beating so loud in her ears.

He pulled her close to him. He could feel her heart racing. "Is everything alright?" He kissed her.

She nodded. "Stay here tonight?" She whispered.

"Of course. I'll sleep on the hide-a-bed again." He held her tightly. He had spent the night before, but always slept on the hide-a-bed to give Mac her space and allow her to be ready for that next big step.

She shook her head. "No Aaron. I want you to spend the night with me." She took a deep breath. "In my bed."

Aaron's jaw dropped. "Mackenzie?"

She turned to face him. "I want you to spend the night in my bed, with me." She looked straight into his eyes. "I want to feel your arms around me. I want you to make love to me tonight. I want to see your face tomorrow morning when I wake up."

Aaron didn't know what to say. She was offering him something precious. She was willing to give him her innocence. "Mac, are you sure?"

She didn't say a thing, she just threw herself into his arms once again and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him passionately. "Yes." She whispered lustfully in his ear.

Aaron could feel all the heat in his body flood to his groin. "Mac." He said hoarsely. As he set her back on the ground, he could see the swell of her bosom peaking out a little more of her dress. He wasn't going to say no, but he wasn't going to ravage her either. "I love you." He said as he picked her up and kissed her. He slowly made his way to the stairs that led to her bedroom, he locked the front door on the way up, and once he shut the door to her room behind them, he laid her gently on the bed.

* * *

**Dave and Aislynn…**

Dave could see through the blinds that Aaron had swept Mac off her feet and were headed up the stairs. He smiled. Aaron deserved to be happy and Mac was the woman to do that for him. He turned to see Lynn had kicked off her shoes and was dancing under the stars. It was the sexiest sight he had seen in a very long time. He smiled wider and slowly made his way to her. He had left his sports jacket on one of the many lawn chairs that were scattered across the lawn. His white dress shirt almost shone in the pale moonlight and it was causing her to get hot flashes. The man was like one of the heroes of her Harlequin novels. The shirt clung to his chest, and went so well with his dark denim jeans. She could almost make out his muscles under the tight shirt. She was all hot and bothered and could barely think straight.

"What's the matter cara?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her slim waist, pulling her tight against his chest.

"Nothing." She finally managed to say. "Did you like your surprise?"

He kissed her lips deeply. "Very much bella."

"I'm glad." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But I still haven't given you your birthday gift yet."

He looked at her curiously. "I thought this was my gift. To spend the night with you in my arms."

Her cheeks burned. "Oh."

"Have I left you speechless, bella?"

She managed to nod. "I got you something special."

"Bella, you're all I could ever ask for. You didn't need to get me anything else." He kissed her again.

She swore the world was spinning faster every time he did that. "I did, it's actually under my jacket." She pointed to the table where she had spent part of the evening. "Can I get it for you?"

He reluctantly released her. He watched her sashay over to the table and grab a small package wrapped in gold and silver paper covered in stars and moons. She held it out to him. "Happy Birthday David." She whispered.

He took the package from her small hands and gently undid the bow. He then carefully unwrapped it, not wanting to ruin her hard work. Once he had the paper off, he saw the small mahogany box. He looked to her, and she nodded. He gently opened the lid. In it were two keys. One of them was, what Dave could only guess was a house key, and the other was an antique key. He had absolutely no idea what it opened. He took both out and looked at her. "What are these for Lynn?" He asked.

"This one," She pointed to the house key. "Is the key to this house. So that you can come over anytime you want, and not have to worry about me being here or not."

"Bella, you didn't have to do that." He kissed her.

"I wanted to." She smiled.

"Fair enough. What's this one for?" He held out the antique key.

Blood rushed to her cheeks, once again filling them with color. "That, David, is the key to my heart."

He didn't know what to say. He gently put the keys in the box, slipped it in his pocket, picked her up, spinning her around, then carrying her in his arms, he went into the house and made his way to her bedroom.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was a little longer than I had originally planned. There is smut… in the next chapter… sorry this one was just getting too long and I do like having you guys come back for more… so please join me in the next chapter for Aaron and Mac… & Lynn and Dave… for some wonderful love scenes.. please note it will be a completely sexual chapter rated M… for many obvious reasons. Please read and review! Love you all. **

**Song inspiration for this chapter is :**

"**My Kinda Party" by Jason Aldean**

**Bisous**

**Nicole**


	9. Summer Rain

**A/N: Well hello! Welcome to the probably most sexual Criminal Minds Chapter I've ever written. This chapter is very mature in content… if you don't want to read smut, please skip this chapter… otherwise… unto the romance and sex… Read and Review!**

**Love always!**

**Nicole**

* * *

**Mac and Aaron…**

* * *

Mac wasn't all sure on what was going to happen next, but she was totally sure of her decision. She watched Aaron's face as he admired her.

"You're so beautiful Mac." He said, his voice catching on her name.

Mac felt color fill her cheeks. That flush of color sent a rush through Aaron. He took in the full sight of her. The swell of her breasts, the sun kissed look of her skin, her vibrant eyes, perfect lips almost demanded his attention. His eyes slowly wandered south of her waist. He had always imagined what she looked like. He had fantasized about this moment, he wasn't going to lie. Her legs were smooth and tanned like the rest of her, they were toned and inviting. He leaned down and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her scent and taste were intoxicating to him. He didn't want to hurt her or make her first time something she'd regret the next morning.

"I'll be gentle." He whispered.

"I trust you Aaron. With everything."

If he was going to make love to her, he was going to have to get her out of that dress. He gently sat her up, then pulled her to him. He gently kissed her lips, then along her jawline down her neck, and as he did that, he slowly undid the zipper at the back of her dress. He pulled back a little bit and the dress slid slowly down her curves. As inch by inch of her skin was revealed, he could see that she was completely tanned. Now she stood in front of him, clothed only in a lace black bra and matching thong. She stood there, her body shivering slightly, as her nerves began to get the better of her. He could see the taut peaks of her nipples poking through the lace of her bra. He took in the beauty that stood before him. She stepped out of her dress and did a slow twirl to show him her entire figure. Her curves took away his breath, her very round yet perky behind captivated him. He wasn't used to this. He suddenly felt as if this was going to his first time all over again. He watched as she slowly took three slow steps to him. Her tiny, nimble hands, quickly pulled his T-shirt off him. She then gently ran her hands over his chest and abdomen. It sent shivers down his spine. Her touch was soft, but electric. He gently took her hands and pulled her to him. He wanted to feel the touch of her skin against his. He kissed her, but then she surprised him as her hands flew to his belt. Within seconds, his pants were on the floor. She stepped back and color flooded her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

He kicked the jeans aside and stepped to her. "Don't be. This is meant to be between both of us." He swept her off the ground and carried her back to the bed. He had taken note that her bra clasp was in the back so as he laid her back on the bed, he expertly undid the clasp with his one hand, his other hand gently caressing her skin. As he pulled back from laying her down, he gently removed her bra. She gasped as more of her skin became exposed. Aaron's jaw dropped as he looked upon her very perfect breasts. They too were a sun-kissed color… how she got them that way, he could only imagine. Her skin tone was even, but it seemed almost as if she was naturally tanned. It wasn't a tanning booth tan, he was sure of that, and it had him totally captivated. They were perfectly round, soft and each had a rose colored nipple that was tight and high. He tossed the bra aside and instantly dropped his head to one of them. He blew a soft breath onto it.

This drew a moan from Mac's soft lips. "Aaron." She whimpered.

He looked up at her. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No. God no." She pleaded. "It feels so good."

He blew on the other one, then he gently licked each one. He watched in amusement as her eyes widened at the new sensations. He then took one in his mouth and gently sucked on it, while he played with the other one with his fingers. After a while, he switched sides and took the other one in his mouth. He could feel her squirm under him.

"Aaron." She moaned.

"What it is baby?" He whispered into her skin.

"It feels so good." She was almost in tears, tears of pleasure and of joy.

"You haven't felt it all yet love." He said he pulled himself up to her and kissed. "I plan on showing what making love really is." He slowly kissed her lips, then he began placing hot kisses down her neck as he slowly made his way down to the only clothed part of her. As he got closer to the band of the thong, he could hear her breathing get faster. He kissed along the band before taking it in his teeth and slowly pulling it down. He was a little surprised to see that the mound that protected her innocence was smooth and bare. He figured she must have shaved because she had this all planned out before hand. He swiftly pulled the thong off with his hands after pulling it to her knees. He then positioned himself so that once he spread her legs; he'd be right between them. He kissed along her thighs. He watched in awe as she slowly parted them for him. He ran his fingers along the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.

She moaned his name as his hands traced gentle circles on the inside of her thighs. She could feel his warm breath on her skin. It felt so good. Lynn had told her that sex and making love were different but both of them would give her sensations she'd never ever forget. "Aaron." She gasped as his lips kissed at the moist, warm folds that protected her core.

He looked up at her. "Trust me?"

She nodded.

Aaron took in her sweet scent. He gently kissed the folds then gently parted them with his thumbs. She squirmed a little at that sensation. He then slowly lapped up the juices that were flowing from her core. He gently used his thumb to rub the nub of nerve endings. This brought Mac so close to ecstasy. "Aaron!" She cried out.

"Cum for me sweetheart." He commanded softly.

She didn't totally get what he meant, but he kept doing what he was doing. Soon she couldn't take it anymore. Her body arched of the bed as a sharp electric currant went through her. She screamed his name. He couldn't help but smile. She may have entered the room as a virgin, but he wasn't about to let her leave one. He slowly planted kisses up her body until he reached her lips. He didn't know if she'd want to taste herself, but he'd give it a shot. He gently kissed her lips, and she opened her mouth slightly. She could taste herself. It was a sweet taste. She pulled him closer, their tongues intermingling longer. As his body weighed down onto hers, she could feel his rock hard shaft pressing against her thigh. It was throbbing with desire. She allowed her hands to wander down and gentle touch it. It almost jumped at her soft touch. Aaron bit his lower lip as her soft touch sent erotic shockwave that could rival a nuclear explosion through him.

"Mac." He moaned.

Her soft touch became a soft grasp as she gently rubbed his cock. It was almost too much. He thanked God for self-control. He didn't want to cum yet. Not until he had given her all the pleasure she could take, and then some. She smiled slightly as she moved her hand a little faster.

This time Aaron had to stop her. "Keep doing that love, and I won't last. It feels so good."

She blushed. She didn't say "sorry" this time though. He had told her it was time for her to learn, and learning happened through mistakes. She let her hand slowly wander up his back and then down his jaw. He was surprised that she was a virgin, the skills she possessed, on top of being a naturally sexy woman and a natural tease, were unimaginable.

He carefully repositioned himself to allow his hands to wander to her feminine core to make sure she was ready to take him, all the while sucking on each breast in turn. He could feel that she was ready, her soft folds soaking with her juices. He was about to wipe his hand off when she took it and put it to her mouth. One finger at a time, she expertly sucked them clean. He watched in amazement as she savored it. He almost lost it again. "Mac."

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Are you ready?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Wrap your arms around me. If it hurts too much, just tell me and I'll stop. I don't want this to be a nightmare for you."

She nodded again. "It'll hurt a bit though, right?"

"At first. Just take a deep breath." He positioned himself to her molten core and watched as she took a deep breath in. As she finished taking the breath, he slowly pushed his shaft into her. It was extremely tight, and hot and wet. It was perfect. She cried out a little at the intrusion. He kept slowly pushing, he found that one spot and he pulled her close. "Take another deep breath." As she did he made the final push. The thin layer protecting her innocence gave way, and she cried out, biting into his shoulder. He would take the pain of the bite, knowing that the pain she was in at that very second was a lot worse. She was panting. It hurt, but soon the pain eased, and her hot core relaxed allowing him to finish burying himself into her wet heat. He stopped once he was completely in.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm okay. It doesn't hurt anymore. It actually feels pretty good."

He kissed her, wrapping his arms around her, pulling their bodies closer together. He pulled back a little, and slowly pushed back in. He could feel her tighten around him each time. He slowly upped the tempo. He would kiss her, and kiss along her neck, occasionally lowering his head to suck on one breast, then the other. The sensations would cause her to gasp or moan his name, as he brought her closer and closer to the point of climax. He held her tightly, and slowly rotated them, so that he was under her and she was straddling him. He was partially sitting as the pillows behind his back raised him up and allowed him to kiss and caress her more. This also changed the sensations for her. He seemed to go deeper in her in this position. It felt amazing. Soon her muscles were tightening around him. He was so close to losing it. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and slowly began to grind her hips down against his. This time it was his turn to moan her name. To her, it was music. She kept going until she couldn't anymore. She was too close to losing complete control of herself. He held her down, while slowly moving his hips up to hers. Right at that moment, she clamped down tightly around his cock, and he lost it. Both of them screamed each other's name as they came. It was too much. Mac felt a hot rush as Aaron came inside her. She collapsed against his chest, breath ragged and both of them covered in sweat. He gently stroked her back, careful not to move just yet. They'd both need time to calm down and relax before moving again. She buried her head in his neck. They just lay there, holding each other and breathing.

* * *

**Meanwhile… Dave and Lynn…**

* * *

He kicked the door shut behind them. Lynn was squirming in his arms. He placed her on the ground. He was almost certain that this was not going to be an overly gentle lovemaking. She had been clawing at his clothes all the way up the stairs. No sooner were her feet on the ground, that she was against him again, lips on his, almost pleading to have him take her right there up against the wall. He was happy to remember to bring condoms with him, but then when he looked over to the dresser that was next to him, he noticed a pack of condoms there too.

_Smart little minx._ He thought to himself. _She made sure we were prepared for tonight._ He pulled her to him, kissing her, nibbling on her lower lip and eventually planting kisses, and sucking along her neckline. She was in the throws of passions, crying out his name and it was driving him wild. He tried as gently as possible to push her against the wall. There was a soft 'thump' as she made contact with it, and he soon pressed his body right up against hers.

Lynn gasped a little when she felt Dave's strong body push her up against the wall. She gasped even more when she felt his hard cock pressing up against her belly. She thought she may have had to work a little harder to make him desire her, but she had been wrong. Her one hand wandered south of his waist, while the other tangled itself in his hair. His lips were claiming hers. She could feel her lips swelling slightly from all the kissing and sucking. It felt perfect. It felt better than anything she had felt in all the years she'd been like this. Her hand finally found what it was looking for. The denim of his jeans was stretched as far as it would go. He was a lot bigger than what she was used to, but she figured if it was meant to be, it would just work.

Her hands touching that one part of him almost caused him to lose it right then and there. "Bella." He moaned.

Hearing him call her beautiful with that lustful tone was making her wet. Dave took this opportunity to allow his fingers to wander. He traced her lips, and gently stroked her neck. Then one hand quickly found the side zipper of her dress. It gently slid the zipper down; the other hand pulled the strap away, and then pulled the other strap down. Soon the dress was just a silken pile around her feet, and she was in nothing more than a pair of lace underwear. She wore no bra because the gown had it built in. The soft light from the moon came through the curtains caught onto the tiny heart shaped gem that was at her navel. The glint of it caused her skin to glow even more. He then caught a glimpse of the fallen angel tattoo that was fairly new, because the colors were still very bright, on her side. His hands gently traced the tattoo.

"Dave." She moaned. "So good." She wasn't lying. His touch was the most electric thing.

He loved hearing her moan his name. He claimed her lips, then slowly planted passionate kisses along her neck down her chest. Then he took one tout pale pink nipple in his mouth and sucked gently. Lynn's back arched away from the wall. His mouth was causing her to becoming more and more aroused. He switched to the other breast, the cool air shocking her as it hit the moistened one. She tangled her hands in his hair again, almost pushing his face into her breasts. "God, David!" She cried out, as he nipped the peak with his teeth.

He grinned. He continued to plant kisses down her body. He even kisses the belly button piercing. The heat of his breath caused her to moan louder. Her hormones were in overdrive and he was just making them go wilder. He continued down, his thumbs hitching into the band of her lace panties. As he went lower, so did they. Soon, they too were on the floor with her dress. He was on his knees, and Lynn no longer knew what he had planned. She was just trying to keep control, but it wasn't working very well. He looked up at her. "Brace yourself against the wall, bella. I'm gonna put your legs on my shoulders."

She looked at him in shock. "Dave."

"Trust me." He looked into her eyes, and she instantly knew that he wasn't going to let her fall unless he'd catch her.

She braced herself against the wall, and he lifted her legs onto his shoulders. They were parted and it gave him a lot easier access to her soft, warm feminine heat. He placed soft kisses along the inside of her thighs. Being a very sensitive part of her, his hot kisses, and the softness of his goatee were bringing Lynn closer to the brink of losing all control. Soon he was right at the wet folds. He gently kissed them then slid his tongue between them. With skill that came with much practice he found that tiny bundle of nerves and began to lick and suck on it. Lynn lost it. She cried out his name as wave upon wave of ecstasy hit her. He didn't stop. Soon his tongue was exploring the tiny passage that led to her core. He licked up all the sweet juices flowing from her. _Damn she tastes good!_ He thought to himself. Keeping his balance and making sure she didn't slide down, he expertly moved one hand to her heat and began to insert one finger at a time as he used his mouth to pleasure her clit.

It was at that moment that Lynn did something she had never done before, but later she'd realize that it was because she'd never really experienced orgasm before. She cried out in pleasure as she felt a rush and soon she squirted him. Dave smiled. He'd accomplished what he'd set out to do. He gently put her legs back on the ground and quickly supported her as her knees began to give out. He promised her that he'd never let her fall, and he was always a man of his word. He kissed her, then whispered. "Are you alright bella?"

She nodded weakly. "Uh huh. Damn it Dave. I can't feel my legs."

He grinned. "That was the point." He lifted her out of the pile of clothes and gently placed her on the bed. He then looked down at her. She was exquisite. Everything about her drove him wild. Every night before he fell asleep, she was his last thought, and the first person he thought of in the morning. She had invaded his life, even though she never meant to, and for the first time in many years, David Rossi was finally truly content with his life. He couldn't have asked for a better gift in all his life. He then began to unbutton his shirt.

Lynn looked at him. "I thought I was supposed to do that?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I got to unwrap my present and now I'm going to finish what I started."

Lynn blushed. For the first time, she felt a little self-conscious of herself. She just prayed she'd be able to pleasure him in return. She watched in awe as piece by piece, Dave's clothes fell to the floor. She admired him. He wasn't ripped like Morgan, but the man was in shape, soft black curls clung to his chest. Soon his jeans and boxers were on the floor. She gasped at the size of him. She reached out to touch it, and instantly it reacted to her. She smiled up at him innocently. "Come closer." She whispered seductively.

Dave took a couple steps closer to her. He presumed that she wanted to examine him a little closer. He was shocked when she repositioned herself and slowly began to wrap her lips around his cock. He bit back a curse. "Lynn." He groaned. "A little warning next time."

She looked up at him innocently, then went back to licking and sucking the full length of him. Her tongue was heaven. He had to focus to make sure he didn't cum that way. Her tongue worked expertly around the head and he moaned her name again and again. She was bringing him too close. He had to pull back, she looked up at him, and confusion was all over her face.

"If you keep going like that Aislynn, I won't be able to make love to you like I plan to."

"Oh." She giggled. "Oops."

He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, then went to the bed, and positioned himself over her. He kissed her lips, hands gently caressing her smooth, soft skin. It was so tanned. He suspected that she spent a fair amount of time out of doors if she could. His cock was throbbing. It ached for her. He wanted to do this right, so he took his time. He grabbed a condom from the floor and carefully opened it. He rolled it on and then he kissed her, and placing his hands on her hips, gently pushed into her.

Lynn gasped out as his cock entered her. "So big." She moaned, not meaning to but she didn't know what else to say.

He grinned. "Ti amo, cara mia."

She had no clue what he had just told her in Italian, but she could guess that it meant I love you. And she definitely loved him. "I love you too, David. So much."

At that point he was fully sheathed in her white-hot heat. She wrapped her legs tightly around him and pulled him in deeper. "Damn it Lynn. Tight, and wet and fuck!" He swore as her muscles tightened around his manhood.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Just need to go slower. I want this to last."

Soon they found their tempo. Her hands ran down his back, while his lips kissed and sucked on her neck and breasts. His hands supported him, so that his full weight wasn't pressed down onto her. They continued to move in sync with each other. He could feel her getting closer and closer to cumming and she was absolutely beautiful right now. He began to go a little harder. She dug her nails into his shoulders and back, urging him to go faster. Her voice was pleading.

"David!" She arched of the bed as he caused her to climax.

He had to bite his tongue as she clamped down around him. He couldn't hold back anymore. He felt his body lock as he came. "Lynn!" He almost screamed her name. He could feel his arms slowly start to give out. Careful not to collapse onto her shaking frame, he pulled out and rolled over next to her. Both their chests were heaving as they fought to catch their breath. He pulled her close and kissed her quivering lips.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly.

She managed to make her head nod. Her body had never felt something so wonderful in her life. She could barely feel anything, but it was a good kind of numb.

"I love you Lynn." He pulled her closely and kissed her.

"I love you too Dave." She snuggled closely to him.

He felt her breathing calm down a bit. He slowly pulled away from her. She moaned a little. "I'll be right back, bella. I need to put this rubber in the trash."

She looked up at him and pouted a little. "Fine."

He kissed her again. "You're cute when you pout you know that?"

She giggled a little and then snuggled against her pillow and waited for him to come back.

Dave walked to the bathroom and looked down to remove the condom. He noticed that something wasn't right with it. He pulled it off and swore to himself. The damn thing had broke. He hadn't had a sinking feeling like this in decades. When he thought about it, he'd never actually had something like this happen. He didn't really know what to do. He knew he'd have to tell Aislynn, but it's not something that was easy to just come out and say. He sighed, wrapped the condom in toilet paper and tossed it in the trash. He washed his hands, splashed cold water on his face and headed back to the bedroom to tell Lynn what had happened.

* * *

**Aaron and Mac…**

* * *

Their breathing had slowed and they were cooling down. Aaron had regained his usual calm composure. Mac was resting quietly. He gently stroked her hair. "Everything alright Mac?" He asked.

She thought about what had just happened. Everything had been so perfect. She thought that it had almost been like one of her romance novels. "Yes." She paused and thought about something. "Aaron?"

"Yes love?"

"We didn't use protection, did we?" Her question almost came out like a statement.

Aaron started to say something but stopped. Had he used protection? He looked on the floor next to the bed. He didn't see any wrappers on the floor. He gently brushed his hand below his waist and swore to himself. There was no condom anywhere. "Mac… I'm so sorry. I forgot." He stopped himself again. "Wait how did you?"

"Because when you came, I felt a hot rush… and I just presumed."

He pulled her close to him and held her tightly. "I'm so sorry. I should know better."

"Aaron." She looked up at him, wisdom in her eyes. "It's okay."

"You could get pregnant." He said.

"I know. But I don't think it's that likely."

He cocked his eyebrows. "How come?"

"Because it's too close to that time of the month. It's not that likely."

"What happens if you are?"

"Would you be upset?" She whispered.

He didn't know what he'd be. After being with Haley, he never thought he'd ever get to be a father. He wanted kids, but he had wanted to do things traditionally. He wanted to be married before any babies came. He looked into her eyes and saw fear had replaced the usual sparkle. "No." He replied honestly. "I want to have children Mac. If this results in a baby, I'll be here. I won't leave you to be alone."

"Are you sure? I don't want to force you into anything." She sighed.

"Mackenzie. It's not forcing me." He took her hand and gently stroked the promise ring. "Remember. I promised you, that one day, we'd get married and have a family."

"Yeah."

"I meant it then, and I still mean it now." He gently stroked her cheek. "Just let's wait and see, okay?"

She nodded. "I love you." She whispered sleepily.

"I love you too." He kissed her. "Get some sleep."

She fell asleep almost instantly. He thought about everything. _Thank God the gala is next week. I'm not waiting any longer. I want to ask her._ Mentally he was hitting himself for not asking her tonight, but he had a plan and he was going to stick to it. He too fell asleep, holding her closely. Both of them dreamt of a future together, filled with laughter, love and a family they had made.

* * *

**A/N: So that is our smut chapter darlings… a little drama at the end… why not? More to come very soon! Love you and as always, please read and review!**

**Chapter song: "Summer Rain" by Matthew Morrison**

**Nicole**


	10. My Love

**A/N: Welcome back to another chapter of "Love Remembers." At the request of some readers, I won't be giving anything away, unless of course it is to prepare you for violence or something, which there is none of in this chapter…. I'd also love to thank all of you who have reviewed the story so far. It means so much to me.**

**Please read and review as always.**

**Also, still dedicated to MissAmieB.**

**Love always, **

**Nicole**

* * *

**The next morning…**

* * *

Aaron woke up to his phone ringing angrily. He looked over at Mac and noticed she wasn't moving. She was obviously unaware of the phone annoyance. He moved as much as he could without waking her. "Hotchner." He whispered gruffly.

"Hotch, sorry to wake you." JJ's voice came over the receiver. "I know it's your weekend off, but the director demanded I call you."

Aaron had to fight the urge to bolt from the bed right then. The only time the director ever demanded his team's participation in an investigation when it was beyond anything most other teams had seen. "What's the case?"

"It seems like a voodoo or something case. It's coming to us from Baton Rouge."

"How long?" He asked.

She knew he meant, "How long has this been going on?"

"2 months. They hadn't made the connection because the original cases were from rural areas near the city. Last night the first Baton Rouge victim was found."

He groaned. These cases were never good. They hardly ended quickly either. "I'll be there ASAP. Gather the rest of the team. Tell them wheel's up in 45 minutes."

"Yes sir." JJ said quickly, then hung up.

He sighed. He had hoped to talk to Mac about what had happened between them, but that wasn't going to happen today. He didn't want to wake her, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't just going to just leave her alone with questions. He wasn't that type of guy. He gently brushed a hair from her face. "Mac." He whispered. "Come on sweetheart."

"Mmmm." She moaned. "5 more minutes."

"Sorry love." He pulled her to him. "Can't."

She fought to open her eyes. "Why? Did something happen?" She sat up, slightly panicked.

"No, no. Relax. I just got a call from the Bureau."

Her face stayed panicked. "You have to leave." She stated.

He nodded. He could see that she was hurt, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. "I wouldn't go if I didn't have to, love."

"It must be really bad if they're calling you in on your time off."

"It is. When I get back, I'll talk to you about it, to maybe make the leaving easier."

"Aaron," She looked up at him. "You don't have to explain if you don't want to. I know that you can't talk about your work because of laws and stuff. I get that. I just want you to promise me that you'll be careful."

He kissed her quivering lips. "I promise. I'll be back for the gala next week. I promise."

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." He kissed her again. "I'll call you once we land. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

She nodded and slowly let go so he could get dressed. She pulled her knees to her chest and watched as he got dressed. She admired him. Once he was dressed, he grabbed his bag and turned back to the bed. He walked over and kissed her one last time. "I'll miss you."

"Me too. Be safe."

He nodded and slowly went to the door. He slowly shut the door behind him and left silently. He didn't want to do this. He swore to himself that he would start putting his future as the priority. That meant more time with Mac, and less calls that pulled him away from her.

Mac laid back down and thought about what just happened. She knew Aaron didn't want to leave anymore than she wanted him to go. She turned over onto his side of her bed. Tears began to form as his scent flooded her senses. She grabbed his pillow and hugged it to her chest, allowing his scent to comfort her as she heard the soft "pinging" of the rain as it began to fall on the roof.

* * *

**Lynn and Dave…**

* * *

Dave was the first to wake up. He carefully got out of bed, as not to disturb Lynn. He quietly snuck to her desk, wrote a note and placed it on his pillow. He went downstairs to start making breakfast. He could see the rain gently falling outside but then also noticed that Aaron's car was gone. He picked up the phone and dialed Aaron's cell.

"Mac? Is everything alright?" Came Aaron's panicked voice over the receiver.

"It's Dave, Aaron. Where the hell are you?"

"Director pulled me back for a case."

"Does Mac know?"

"She knows. I'm not a heartless ass to just up and leave without saying a thing, Dave."

Dave sighed. "When will you be back?"

"I'm praying to be back for the gala next weekend."

"I'll keep an eye on her." Dave offered.

"Thanks Dave. I hated leaving her this morning."

"Keep in touch." Dave said as he heard the pilot on Hotch's end announce take-off.

"I'll call when I land." Was all that was said before the line clicked off.

Dave sighed. The BAU had cost him three wives. He just prayed that Aaron would be able to make this work. He set about making waffles as well as frying bacon and sausages he had found while snooping through the girls' fridge.

Lynn woke up to a somewhat cooler bed. Dave was gone. A moment of panic set in before the pink Post-It caught her eye. She grabbed the note and quickly read it.

_Bella, _

_I haven't left. I've just decided to spoil you with breakfast in bed. I love you._

_Dave. _

She grinned. Despite their late night conversation on the incident of the broken condom, they were still strong. She was sure she couldn't get pregnant anyhow. She was on the pill and she never missed taking one. Though there was a part of her that wished she could be. She let her thoughts wander to what a family life with Dave would be like.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Mac heard a soft knock at the door. She lifted her head from her knees. She had moved from the bed to the window seat to watch the rainfall. "Who is it?"

"It's Dave. I brought you breakfast."

Mac could smell something heavenly. She sniffled. "Come in. It's unlocked."

The door opened and the aroma of sizzling bacon, fresh waffles and delicious sausage assaulted her senses. She put a smile on and prayed that Dave wouldn't see her tear streaked cheeks or the pain she felt.

Dave walked in and gently placed the tray of food on the dresser. He noticed her tears, and he could see the sadness in her eyes, but there was also something different about her. He looked around. He could only guess what had happened between her and Aaron the previous night. "Are you okay?"

She smiled a little more. "Yeah." She whispered.

"You don't have to lie to me Mac." Dave smiled. "I know what happened. Why he had to leave."

She felt a tightening grip around her heart and the let the tears fall again. "I know it's his work, but it still hurts."

"Mac, I can't begin to fathom the pain you're feeling, but I called him when I saw his car was gone. I know he feels the same way."

Mac looked up at him again. "Really?" She sniffled.

"Yes." Dave nodded. "I promised him I'd keep an eye on you and get you anything you need until he comes back."

"Thank you Dave." She got up off the window seat and hugged him. "Sorry for being such a mess."

"Don't be. Now eat and I'll let Lynn catch up with you in a bit."

She thanked him again as he left to go bring Lynn her breakfast. Mac wrapped her robe tighter around her and to the tray of food to start eating.

"Knock Knock!" Dave said as he walked into Lynn's room bearing a large tray of food.

"Food!" Lynn exploded into a fit of giggles.

Dave looked at her. "What about me?"

"You can be dessert." Lynn smiled.

"I like that idea." Dave replied as he put the tray on Lynn's lap, then joined her on the bed.

They ate and laughed. Soon breakfast was gone and Dave took the tray away. He got back in bed and pulled her to him. "Thank you bella. For everything."

She snuggled to him. "It was my pleasure. Something's up, you're acting funny."

"It's Mac and Aaron."

Lynn sat up and looked him straight in the eye. "Did they have a fight?"

"No, they didn't fight. He got a call from work. The Director himself called Aaron in."

"Shit."

"I saw his car was gone when I got up to make breakfast. I called him, and he told me what had happened. I have a feeling they did something last night, and neither of them got to talk about it."

"Does…"

"Mac knows." Dave guessed the end of her sentence. "I saw her when I brought her food. I think you two may need girl talk. I'll leave for a bit this afternoon, and come back later tonight. I promised Hotch I'd make sure Mac would be okay until he came back." He finished his explanation.

"Thank you Dave." She leaned over and kissed him gently. "I don't want you to think I don't want to spend time with you."

He kissed her lips passionately again. "I don't think that. You two may as well be sisters. I'll come by tonight. Maybe watch a movie."

She nodded. "I think that's a good plan."

They kissed one last time before quickly showering so Lynn could check on Mac.

"I love you Dave."

"I love you too bella." He held her tightly. "See you tonight."

She then watched him run to his car and drive off into the rain. Once his taillights had disappeared into the distance, she ran up the stairs to talk to Mac.

"Mac?" Lynn asked.

"Come in." Mac said, voice shaking.

Lynn slowly entered the room. "How are you?"

"I don't know." She whispered. "Last night was a dream turned into a nightmare when he had to leave."

Lynn sat next to Mac on the bed and held her. "Sweetie, it'll be fine. He's coming back."

"I know. I just wish…"

"You could've had more time with him." Lynn finished the sentiment.

Mac just nodded. Lynn held her best friend and told her to just cry. Once the tears slowed and Mac was calm again. They set about discussing the events of the previous night.

Lynn cut right to the chase. "So did you two?..."

Mac nodded. "Yeah."

"How was it?"

"It was amazing, well after the initial part."

"You're not regretting anything?"

Mac shook her head. "Nope."

Lynn smiled. "Good." She hugged Mac again. "I'm so happy for you."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Lynn cocked an eyebrow.

"You, Dave… what happened last night?"

Lynn felt her cheeks burn a little, which was something that didn't happen very often, even when talking about sex. "Uh."

"Aislynn Carmichael!" Mac exclaimed. "I've never seen you speechless in my entire life." She poked Lynn. "Dish."

Lynn moaned. "Okay, I'll tell you. Yeesh. You've never been this interested before?"

"That's because I never liked any of your past guys before. I like this one."

Now it was all making sense. "Oh. Okay well, first he carried me to my room, started against the door and ended in the bed."

"Wow." Mac grinned. "How was it?"

Lynn laughed. "Great, I corrupted you. Your dad's gonna flip."

"Not the answer to my question."

"You're impossible Mac." Lynn said, trying to calm her breathing. "It true what they say."

"Huh?"

Lynn shook her head. "About Italians."

"Oh!" Mac gasped. "Well, I guess we both had pretty amazing nights."

They continued to laugh and talk throughout the day about everything.

* * *

**The next week…**

* * *

Mac was beginning to lose it She had less than 2 days to find a gown for the gala and award ceremony, and Aaron wasn't back from Baton Rouge yet. Penelope had said she'd take Mac gown shopping, but she too had been called to Baton Rouge, so now Mac swore she was screwed. She started sorting through the few dresses she owned. She growled in frustration when she couldn't find anything. Lynn heard the frustrated sounds coming from Mac's room. She poked her head in, careful not to piss Mac off even more.

"What's wrong?" Lynn asked, careful not to anger her friend more than she already was.

Mac fell on the bed and sighed. "I have no gown or date for the Gala."

Lynn cocked her head to the side. "Aaron told you he'd be back."

"Only if they solved the case."

Lynn stepped over the clothes on the floor and sat next to Mac on the bed. "He'll be back, but if he isn't, I'll go with you."

Mac looked up. "You hate these things."

"But it means so much to you. Friendship trumps boring galas."

"Thanks." Mac smiled. "Still need a dress though. Mine aren't good enough."

"That, I can solve. Gimme 5 minutes."

Mac nodded and with that Lynn left the room. She hit her speed dial, and on the second ring, the call was answered.

"Everything alright bella?" Dave asked.

"Mac's freaking out about the gala, and you know how important it is and she needs a gown."

"I see. How can I help?"

"I need to get her one of Maya's gowns."

Dave laughed. "Alright. That's not a problem."

"Don't worry, I won't go insane on it, since it's my gift to her."

"Just put it on my tab, bella." He could sense her impending argument. "No, ifs, ands, or buts. Just do it."

Lynn smiled. "I love you."

"Ti amo cara mia." He whispered sultrily in Italian.

They hung up and headed to get Mac to Maya's before she closed, though Lynn suspected Dave was calling ahead to give her the head's up.

* * *

_**Later that night…**_

* * *

Finding the perfect gown hadn't taken long, but getting Mac to agree to it being put on Dave's tab had. She was determined to pay for it herself, even though it was probably worth an entire month's salary. Lynn had to fight against her and the urge to explain the real reason for gala. They got home, put the gown away and went to make a quick light supper. They were just about to eat when Dave came to the door and the phone began to ring at the same time. Lynn went to let Dave in, even though he now had a key and Mac answered the phone.

"Hey Mac." Aaron's reassuring voice came over the line.

"Aaron." She said breathlessly. His voice still took her breath away, she figured it would happen every time.

"We landed safe. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner." He missed her, she could hear it in his voice. "It's a bad case, but I'm really hoping to be able to come to the gala, even if it's only for that."

"Aaron, it's alright if you can't. It's your work."

"But my work isn't everything to me, you are."

When he said that, her right hand instinctively went to the promise ring on her left hand. "Aaron."

"I love you Mac. It hurt to leave you that morning." His voice hitched. "It still hurts to be here and alone."

She felt tears building up behind her eyes. "We'll be together soon." She heard another man's voice behind Aaron on the phone. "Who's that?"

"Gideon, he's the unit chief right now. I think we just ended up with another victim." The man's voice said something and Aaron sighed. "Yeah, another one. I'll try to be there this weekend. I love you Mac."

"I love you too. Be safe." She blew him a kiss over the phone and then she heard the line disconnect. She sat to eat her supper in her bedroom while watching a comedy, but her heart sat heavy in her chest.

* * *

_**The night of the gala…**_

* * *

Mac had been getting ready since the early afternoon. The gown was the last part, but she needed to do her hair, which was a 2-hour task minimum, and her make-up before she could put the gown and accessories on. Lynn did her hair. Soft curls framed her face, while others fell down her back and some were pinned up with silk orchids. Lynn also volunteered to do her make-up.

"I can do it, Lynn."

"I know, but since I can't come tonight, I need to be able to do as much as I can to be a part of tonight."

"You're lending me your boyfriend because Aaron hasn't shown up yet."

"Dave volunteered and he was going anyhow, he may as well be the escort for the belle of the ball don't you think?"

Mac's cheek filled with color. "I guess."

"There will be other events for you and Aaron to go to." She turned Mac to face the mirror. "What do you think?"

Mac examined her reflection. Her hair was perfect, and her make-up was natural with a touch of shimmer and shine. "Wow."

"Good, now, gown and hurry, because the limo will be here soon." Just as Lynn finished, the doorbell rang. "I'll go see who it is, you get in the gown so I can do you up."

Mac nodded as Lynn flew down the stairs.

* * *

_**Same time… Dave's…**_

* * *

Dave was just finishing getting ready when the doorbell rang. He continued to struggle with his last cufflink while answering the door. He was shocked to see Aaron Hotchner standing on his front step, dressed in full tux. "Aaron?"

"Yes. I promised her, and then the case turned and …."

"Calm down man." Dave let him in. "That's what she figured. She's smart and she understands, something that other broad never understood."

"I know, but tonight is so important to her, and I feel like I've let her down."

"You're here now aren't you? You never have let her down, yet, but that's not the point." He looked at Aaron, there was something different about him. "If you're here, who's running the team?"

"Gideon, he's been running it, well as much as he can, he's distracted."

"It's his son again. I don't know why he just doesn't take a leave of absence."

"Because he's stubborn, like another old profiler I know." Aaron laughed.

"Yeah, I know. There's something else isn't there."

"Take the profiler out of the BAU, but you can't take the profiler out of the man." Aaron nodded. "I have something very important to ask her."

Dave looked at him. "Are you going to…?"

Aaron nodded again.

"Tonight will be a great night, that's for sure. Okay, well head to this address and wait for me there." He handed Hotch a piece of paper with the banquet hall's address.

Hotch nodded. "Let me do up that cufflink, you've only been fighting with it since I got here." He did up the link and headed out the door.

Dave shook his head and he hit the lights before heading out to the girls' house to pick up Lynn for all of the evening's festivities.

* * *

_**Lynn and Mac's house…**_

* * *

Lynn opened the door. Dave stood in front of her, and he looked amazing in his tux.

"What are you doing here? The guest of honor is still here." She whispered.

"I'm gonna wait in the back for her to leave, then we'll go."

"Works for me." She leaned in and kissed him. "You looked very debonair."

"I feel like a damn penguin." He muttered and headed to the back porch to wait for Lynn to be ready to head out. Luckily he had all the surprises under his belt.

Lynn ran back up stairs and did up the gown and clasped the necklace around Mac's neck.

"Who was at the door?" Mac asked.

"Girl Guides."

"Is it that time of the year already?"

"I guess so. The limo will be here soon, let's get down stairs."

Sure enough, the instant they were down the stairs, the doorbell rang again and this time, a driver was there to pick Mac up. The two women hugged and Lynn wished Mac a great night.

Mac got into the limo and waved one last time to Lynn. She was a little sad that Lynn wasn't able to make it to the gala, but she understood that this portfolio was important to tie up. She sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Once Lynn closed the front door, she went to the porch to let Dave in. Once he was in, he quickly set to helping her into her little black dress and they too headed out. They used every single shortcut in the book. This way to guarantee they'd beat Mac to the gala. Dave also had to make sure that he hid Lynn from view so Mac wouldn't be suspicious and to ensure, as much as he loved her, Lynn wouldn't pop the 'Aaron' surprise bubble. They made it in record time, so he hid Lynn back stage, then went to position Aaron for Mac's arrival. Once everyone was in place, Dave stood back and waited to enjoy the show.

Aaron hadn't been this nervous since his first day at the Bureau. His palms were sweaty and he was sure his heart was about to fly out of his chest. He could see Mac's limo approaching. He took a deep, calming breath before stepping up to the curb to open the door for her.

Mac felt the limo slow to a stop. She quickly readjusted her gown and waited for the driver to open her door. The door opened and a hand reached in to help her out of the car. She slowly got out of the limo, only to almost fall back in when she saw the man who had really helped her out of the limo.

"Aaron!" She exclaimed.

"Mac, you look beautiful." He finally managed to say. He swore that she had stepped off the set of "Gone with the Wind." The bodice of the orchid colored gown was corset style with ebony accents and straps . The whole gown fitted her like a glove. The skirt was full but flowed naturally from her hips. He could only imagine the layers of crinoline that was under there. The skirt itself was unique. The main skirt was a shimmering ebony silk with a touch of lace. The over skirt was the same orchid silk organza as the bodice. It flowed and swished and just suited her. She was stunning and radiant, and to Aaron, those words barely covered how beautiful she was tonight.

Mac felt her cheeks burn. "Thank you. I didn't think you were coming."

He gently kissed her lips. "I promised you that I'd be here. I wouldn't miss this, not for anything. I love you Mackenzie."

"I love you too, Aaron." She said as she slid her arm through his pre-offered one.

Dave approached the couple. "Well, well. I guess I won't be needed tonight."

"I'm so sorry Dave. I didn't know he'd actually still make it." Mac apologized.

"Don't be bella. You will be much happier with him tonight, than with me." He kissed her free hand. "You look ravishing." He turned to face Aaron. "You're a very lucky man."

Aaron shook his friend's hand. "I know. Thanks again, Dave. For everything."

"Have fun tonight." He winked at Aaron. "I'll just go to my table for the presentations. See you inside." He turned and went into the banquet hall.

Aaron and Mac followed, both wearing beaming smiles. They arrived at the banquet hall doors, only to be told they couldn't just enter just yet. Mac was a little confused, but Aaron had been informed of the real reason.

Dave's voice soon came over the speaker system. "Ladies and gentleman. Now that everyone is here, I believe, I should bring in our guest of honor. Please stand and help me welcome, Mackenzie Lambert."

The giant mahogany doors opened and applause filled Mac's ears. She didn't fully understand what was going on. Aaron started moving and Mac followed suit. They slowly made their way to an empty table at the front of the room. Aaron helped Mac into her seat before taking his next to her. Dave still stood at the podium.

"Now we'll go into the presentation, before we say Grace and enjoy the wonderful meal that's waiting for us. It is my great pleasure to present to you, tonight's award presenter. Mackenzie's best friend, Aislynn Carmichael."

Applause filled the room once again as Lynn stepped from behind the velvet curtain. She was radiant in her little black dress. In her hand was the coveted, "Time Magazine's Photographer of the Year Award." Lynn handed Dave the Award to present her speech.

"Good evening." She began once the applause died down. "It's a great honor and pleasure to present this award to an amazingly talented photographer and my best friend tonight. The Award is for a photographer who goes above and beyond. Now everyone who knows her, knows that she does just that. But not just in photography, it's in every aspect of her life. She's broken limbs and been in harnesses above the cityscape just to get that perfect shot."

Applause filled the hall once again, cause Mac's cheeks to burn once more.

"Mackenzie Lambert has been behind the lens of a camera since before she started school. And she is the **youngest** photographer to ever have any of her work published in National Geographic and Time Magazine. At 14 years old, she risked her life for one shot of the effects of an F5 tornado while we were on a school trip. Then, on 9/11, she was in New York. She shot over 1500 images of that somber day. Her works now pay tribute to all those we lost that day, and those first responders that were on scene, risking their lives to save complete strangers from the rubble. Through her photographs, they live on in our hearts and minds forever."

A moment of silence passed to honor those lost.

"Now, she has her own studio, and she provides great experiences for family, engagement and wedding portraits as well as amazing nature shots for the world to enjoy. Please help me to congratulate her on the 'Time Magazine Photographer of the Year Award'. Miss Mackenzie Lambert."

Mac fought back tears of joy and pride as she got up, and kissed Aaron before making her way to the podium.

Once there, she hugged both Lynn and Dave before taking to the podium for her unprepared speech. Dave and Lynn just stood off to the side. "Thank you Lynn, Dave." She drew a deep breath. "I am truly honored and blessed to be receiving this award. To be honest with you, I had no idea of this, so I really don't have a speech prepared."

Light laughter filled the room.

Mac let the room settle before continuing. "It is truly a great honor to be name Time Magazine's Photographer of the Year. Photography is my passion and my life, and with much more effort, I only hope to better my art. I do have some people to thank though. First, Time Magazine, thank you so much for this honor. Secondly, my family, especially my dad for buying me my first Nikon when I was 10. Next, I'd like to thank my best friend and business partner, Aislynn. Thank you for supporting me and backing all my wild schemes to get the perfect shot. I'd also like to thank my friends and assistants for all your support and help." She turned to face Aaron. "Last, but most certainly not least, Aaron. Thank-you for your love and support. You are an amazing man, and it means so much to me that you're here to celebrate with me tonight. I love you. Thank you all again."

Applause and cheers exploded as people stood and honored her achievements. Dave and Lynn guided her back to their table. She turned to Aaron to kiss him. "Did you know?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Not until I showed up at Dave's tonight."

"But you knew?" She directed her question to Lynn.

Lynn nodded sheepishly. "I've known for months. They asked me for my help to plan it all."

"I see." Mac looked serious for a minute before grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Thank you! It was perfect!"

The two hugged as best they could, as they were now seated for the banquet.

"I'm glad you liked it." Dave said from Aaron's right. "I'm especially happy that we kept the whole thing a surprise."

Mac arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm on the board for the award, as well as the organization that funds the whole thing." Dave smiled to her. "Don't worry, I have no say in who gets it, but I'm very glad it was you." He eased her mind, which was fearful of being chosen because she was his girlfriend's best friend.

"Thank you Dave." She blew him a quick kiss. "Now, let's eat, I'm starving."

Their table burst out into laughter as the food arrived just in time. The meal passed by quickly enough. Soon music filled the adjoining ballroom, and all the guests slowly made their way there. The table of honor was the last to leave, as they had to make an entrance once again. Lynn, on Dave's arm glided into the room. Mac and Aaron waited until they were announced. They too glided into the ballroom and made their way to the center of the floor. Soon slowly music filled they're ears and they slowly danced around the room. Aaron's feet were light and Mac was surprised at how talented he was. Soon the floor was with dancers gliding along the floor and any fears or negative thoughts that they had were danced away and their lives were filled with peace. Even if it was only for tonight.

The night passed on, Mac danced with many partners but her eyes and heart belonged to Aaron. He watched as she beamed as Dave waltzed her around the floor. Lynn came and sat next to him.

"How's everything, Agent Hotchner?" She teased him.

He smiled, something it seemed, from what Dave told her, was a rare occurrence. "Yes, everything's perfect." His eyes were busy following Mac.

"You seem distracted, Aaron." She pointed out.

He finally turned to look at her. "A little. I'm trying to plan something out."

"I see." She smiled. "Care to share?"

He leaned in and whispered something to her. She smiled and nodded and whispered something back to him. With that, he went to talk to the band. She smiled. Tonight was truly the best night.

Aaron walked up to the leader of the band. "Good evening."

"Good evening sir. Do you have a request?"

Aaron nodded, then explained. The leader smiled and nodded. "Of course. We'll do it right away."

Aaron went to wait for Mac to finish her chat with the Senator that was in front of her. She saw and him, and excused herself and went to his side.

"Thank you for coming again." She kissed him.

"I wouldn't have missed it Mac. It's hard being away from you." He pulled her close and led her out of the ballroom.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"It's a surprise. Trust me."

Lynn and Dave watched as the couple left. Right at that moment, the band announced a small break of 30 minutes and that they would return to finish the evening. If only they knew that love was in the air tonight.

* * *

_**Outside on the terrace…**_

* * *

Aaron led Mac to the center of the fragrant courtyard. Roses, lilies and lilacs filled the air. Tiny twinkling lights were strung through the tall trees and everything seemed like it was part of the most romantic of movies. It was then that Mac noticed that the band had followed them out, but were on the balcony above them. Soon a song so familiar to her filled her ears, and tears of joy and love slid down her cheek as Aaron took her in his arms and in a slow waltz he danced her around the courtyard. Her head lay on his chest as he began to sing the words to her and her alone.

"_An __empty __street, __an __empty __house_

_A hole inside my heart_

_I'm all alone, the rooms are getting smaller._

_I wonder how, I wonder why, I wonder where they are_

_The days we had, the songs we sang together.(oh yeah)_

_And all my love, I'm holding on forever_

_Reaching for the love that seems so far_

_So I say a little prayer_

_And hope my dreams will take me there_

_Where the skies are blue, to see you once again... my love._

_All the seas from coast to coast_

_To find the place I Love The Most_

_Where the fields are green, to see you once again... my love._

_I try to read, I go to work_

_I'm laughing with my friends_

_But I can't stop to keep myself from thinking. (oh no)_

_I wonder how, I wonder why, I wonder where they are_

_The days we had, the songs we sang together.(oh yeah)_

_And all my love, I'm holding on forever_

_Reaching for the love that seems so far_

_So I say a little prayer_

_And hope my dreams will take me there_

_Where the skies are blue, to see you once again... my love._

_All the seas from coast to coast_

_To find the place I Love The Most_

_Where the fields are green, to see you once again..._

_To hold you in my arms_

_To promise you my love_

_To tell you from the heart_

_You're all I'm thinking of_

_Reaching for the love that seems so far_

_So I say a little prayer_

_And hope my dreams will take its there_

_Where the skies are blue, to see you once again... my love._

_All the seas from coast to coast_

_To find the place I Love The Most_

_Where the fields are green, to see you once again... my love._

_Say it in a prayer (my sweet love)_

_Dreams will take it there_

_Where the skies are blue (woah yeah), to see you once again my love. (oh my love)_

_All the seas from coast to coast_

_To find the place I Love The Most_

_Where__the__fields__are__green,__to__see__you__once__again...__My__Love.__" _

As the song ended, Aaron went on one knee and it was only then that realization hit her. She watched in awe as he pulled out the box and said. "Mackenzie, I have fallen in love with you, and I never want to leave your side. I want to spend my life loving you, being yours and always believing in you. I would really love spending the rest of my life with you by my side, to raise a family together and to be each other's beacon in the darkness that could come. Will you give me the pleasure and honor of being your husband? Will you marry me, Mac?"

She had always imagined what a proposal would be like, but she never, in her wildest imagination, had imagined this. She nodded, tears of joy falling, "Yes, Aaron, I will marry you."

He moved her promise ring over, and slid the ring he had chosen for her onto her left hand. "I love you, so much."

She kissed him passionately. "I love you too. I'm so happy!"

Music cued again and the next song was another song, again it was by Westlife. "Swear It Again" played and one of the band members sang while Aaron and Mac danced under the stars and moonlight.

* * *

_**A/N: Well my dears, finally Ch. 10 is done! YAY! I really hope you enjoyed it! It took so long because of my last year of University's course load. The next chapter is in the works, but because I am starting my student teaching next week, I won't be able to publish as much. Be patient, and it will be updated!**_

_**Song influence for this chapter:**_

**_My Love _by Westlife**

_**Love you all!**_

_**Nicole**_


	11. This I Promise You

_**A/N: Okay, new chapter! Woohoo! Okay, so Mac and Hotch are engaged. Now unto the rest of the fun that comes alongside being in a relationship with these guys. Please keep up with the reviews! I love reading them.**_

_**Still dedicated to Miss Amie B! Love ya!**_

_**Now onto the story!**_

_**Nicole!**_

Aaron had had to return to the case the evening after the gala. Despite that, Mac was on Cloud 9. They had agreed that other than Dave and Lynn, no one was to know about this. They wanted to surprise everyone. Lynn was thrilled and again she set to plotting, except this time the whole thing would actually end up being Dave's idea. He wanted to throw an engagement party for their best friends. Lynn had asked him why.

"Because cara mia, it gives me a chance to be in the kitchen."

Lynn laughed and agreed. They set a date for the following month.

Time passed and Aaron soon returned home after closing another gruesome case. He and Mac set about quickly planning their nuptials, as they didn't want a prolonged engagement.

_**One Month later…**_

One beautiful Thursday morning, Lynn was woken up by the sudden urge to be sick. She ran to her bathroom and threw up. She continued to heave. Once she collapsed against the bathroom wall she began to think it had been the shrimp she had had the previous night for supper. She washed up and met with Mac to finish planning for the upcoming party that was this weekend. They went into the office to do the planning, as no one would be there. There were partway through the day when Lynn was hit, again, with a wave of nauseousness, but she didn't have any time to make it to the bathroom. She threw up into the nearest wastebasket.

Mac looked at friend, concern and worry clearly visible on her face. "Lynn, you alright?"

Lynn shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Lie down. I'll keep going. Maybe you just need a cat nap."

Lynn nodded and went to the sofa that was in the corner of her office for this exact purpose. She asleep easily and rested. At least until the dreams started. She felt as they were trying to tell her something. She woke up from her nap feeling a little better. Mac was almost done when Lynn came to rejoin her.

"Better?"

Lynn nodded, but she couldn't tell her the truth that was coming to hit her. "Yep, what's left?"

"Outfits." Mac grinned. "That's it."

"Wow, aren't we efficient today?" Lynn joked.

"I know." Mac laughed. "I don't know, I just feel better."

Lynn smiled. "That's great. I bet it's being the future Mrs. Aaron Hotchner that's doing it."

The two packed up and headed home. Mac was spending the night at Aaron's as they were doing some wedding planning before the party on Saturday. Lynn dropped her off there and sped home.

Lynn ran up the stairs and packed a bag. She knew it now and she knew Dave would never accept any of it. She threw the bag in the car, then ran back to lock the door. When she got back in the car, she could feel the tears rolling down her face. She put the car in gear and fled off into the night.

_**The next morning…**_

Mac woke up to delicious scents. She looked around and saw Aaron standing in the doorway with a breakfast tray. "Morning." He smiled and put the tray on her lap.

"Breakfast in bed?" She smiled.

"Yes ma'am." He sat on the bed next to her.

She slowly lifted the cover. "It looks so good." She grinned up at him.

"I'm glad. Try it." He smiled as he handed her a fork.

She dug into the waffles covered in mixed berries and whipped cream. He was restraining himself from tossing the food to the floor and taking her right then and there. "You're teasing me with that whipped cream."

She dipped her finger into it and slowly licked and sucked it off, all while innocently batting her eyes at him. That was his invitation. He grabbed the tray and put it on the nightstand before playfully tackling her to the pillows. He was just about to enter her when their bedroom door burst open. Mac screamed and fell off the bed. Aaron swore and pulled his secondary pistol from the nightstand drawer.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" A familiar voice shouted.

"Damn it! Dave!" Aaron pulled the sheet over himself. "Mac?" He peered over the edge of the bed. "You okay?"

There was a fair amount of cursing from her side of the bed.

"Mac?" He peered over more.

"I'm fine, but he is SO DEAD!" She growled with lethality. She looked up at Aaron, and her tone changed. "Could I get a blanket or something, please?"

Aaron nodded and gave her the comforter, then helped her back into bed. He turned to glare at his friend turned intruder. "What the FUCK! What is your problem? Since when do you just barge into my place and then burst into **my** bedroom!"

Dave just stared blankly at the frustrated couple. "You didn't answer your phones, or the door when I rang."

"So you just decided to barge into my bedroom, while my fiancée and I are about to make love?" Aaron was very pissed.

"Look, I'm sorry I interrupted your morning adventure, but it's an emergency."

"What is it?" Mac snapped.

"Lynn is gone." Dave said, pronouncing each word intentionally. The pain was obvious in his tone.

"WHAT?" Mac bolted from the bed, not caring if she was naked or not and ran to grab some clothes.

Aaron, too, went to get clothes except he kept his sheet wrapped around his waist. "Explain!"

"I went to your place to talk to her about the party and when I got there, her suitcase was gone and so was the car."

"Shit." Mac came back into view. She was fighting with the zipper of her jeans, but she was covered. "Did she leave a note?" When Dave shook his head, her heart sank. She felt the way she did the day she learned that her mother had walked out on them. Tears began to build up.

"Go look for her." Aaron suggested. "We'll go look to see if she left any hints." With that Dave left, and Aaron turned to face Mac. "We'll find her."

While on the way to the house, Mac though of something. She dialed Penelope's number.

"Hey boss man, don't you know the definition of 'time off'?"

"It's me Pen." Mac laughed, not that she felt overly happy. "I just borrowed Aaron's phone."

"Ah! Okay. So whatta ya need?"

"Can you activate the lo-jack on my Charger?"

"Why something happen?" Pen was a little worried.

Mac sighed. "Lynn borrowed it and now we can't reach her, so I'm checking up on her." She didn't need to give all the details.

"Ah. Got it." That was followed by insanely loud and fast clacking of key. "Found her." Came the reply after of a few minutes.

"Well, where is she?" Aaron asked, irritation creeped into his tone.

"By a lake, about an hour drive north east of Calais." Pen's confusion was obvious.

"Thanks Pen. You're the best." Mac knew exactly where Lynn had run off to.

"You're not going to tell me what's going on?"

Aaron answered. "Not yet. Keep an eye on her position and let us know if she moves."

"Yes sir." And the line disconnected.

Aaron looked at Mac. "Where is she?"

"The cabin where we spent our summers growing up."

He nodded and quickly called Dave to fill him in. He then floored it and prayed to make it there soon.

_**The cabin…**_

Lynn sighed. Why did this kind of stuff always happen to her? Why was she the one who always ran away? She looked at the tiny Post-it in her hand. Tomorrow this would all be over. She could home and pray that nobody noticed she was gone.

"Oh, who am I kidding!" She threw herself into the nearest chair. "They're going to notice I'm gone. Maybe they won't come looking for me." She was hoping.

"Who are you talking to?" A voice came from the doorway.

"Jesus!" Lynn jumped.

"No." Mac stepped through the doorway. "Not Jesus, just the friend you forgot about."

Lynn stared at Mac, then her heart dropped as Aaron's tall frame filled the doorway. "How'd you find me?"

"Doesn't really matter, but I called in a favor." Mac crossed her arms over her chest. "You left. You ran! You couldn't even tell me!" Lynn's throat tightened as she saw tears flow down her best friend's cheeks.

Aaron kept the doorway blocked, just in case Lynn decided to bolt. He was also watching to make sure Mac didn't get to upset. Lynn didn't know what to say, but her heart broke with the next words Mac said. "You did what my mother did!"

"Mac…." She took a few steps towards her.

"No!" Mac pulled away from her. "What was so horrible that you couldn't call or even send a bloody text message!"

Lynn didn't know what to say. She had hurt her best friend and telling her the truth would only cause more pain. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Like running away didn't?"

"Mac, the truth would've hurt even more."

"How!" The fury and pain in Mac's eyes was almost indescribable.

"Sit." Lynn looked her in the eye. "Please."

Mac stood her ground. Lynn turned to Aaron, eyes pleading. He just stood there.

"Fine." Lynn took a deep breath. "I ran because I couldn't tell anyone the truth. I'm pregnant and with Dave's lifestyle and past, I know he's not going to want a baby."

Mac took a moment to absorb all the information. "So what you're saying is that you ran away so you could get rid of it?" She sounded out each word slowly.

Lynn nodded. She was ashamed of how selfish she was at that very moment.

Mac's heart sank. "You always said you'd never, EVER have an abortion. That you didn't believe in it."

"But Dave…"

Aaron finally spoke. "How do you know what Dave wants? Have you talked to him?"

"No, but he's been married three times and never had kids. It means he doesn't want them."

Mac turned to Aaron pleaded. "Do something!"

Aaron knew why Mac was doing this. It wasn't because she was pro-life, it was because when it came to things like this, both mother and father had to come to know of the pregnancy. What happens after, well that's up to them. Dave deserved to know that he could be a father. He thought on his feet and grabbed Lynn and threw he over his shoulder, fireman style. He took her to the first bedroom he found and cuffed her to the bed.

"Mac! Get him to uncuff me!" Lynn screeched.

"No. I won't let you do this because of what **you** **think** he wants. You need to talk to him." Mac put her hands on her hips.

"He doesn't know I left."

"Of course he does! He charged into Aaron's to tell us." Mac shouted. She was really frustrated that Lynn didn't see the big picture.

"Don't tell him what's going on!" Lynn begged.

"Too late, he's on his way and you're going to tell him." Aaron said as he took Mac's hand and left the room.

Before she left, Mac turned back and faced Lynn. "My engagement party is tomorrow night and I'm not missing it and neither is my maid of honor! So figure this stuff out!" With that she slammed the door shut.

Lynn knew that there was no use in trying to escape what was to come with Dave. He'd be pissed off and he'd walk out on her. The same way her father walked out on her mother. The tears and sobs that followed wracked her body.

_**Dave…**_

When Aaron called and told him they had found her, he had hopped in his car and broken every law imaginable to get to that cottage. He couldn't think of a reason for Lynn to do this. He was a mile away and he was going to get answers. No matter what happened, he was determined to make this relationship work. He saw Aaron's car and the Charger. He finally had made it. He parked the car and burst into the cottage.

"Where is she?" He asked.

Mac pointed to the bedroom. "We had to keep her from bolting!" She shouted after him as he sprinted for the room.

When he saw her he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he saw the handcuffs. "What?"

Lynn looked up, her tear-streaked face was flushed and her bottom lip quivered.

"Don't cry love." He sat on the bed next to her. He pulled as close as he could with the handcuffs still locked in place. "I was so worried. Why'd you take off like that?"

She sniffled. "Because I didn't want you to hate me."

He was very confused. "Why on earth would I hate you bella?"

"Because…" She choked back a sob. "I'm pregnant."

_**Mac and Aaron…**_

The two sat in silence. They wanted to make sure Lynn told Dave the truth before leaving them to work things out. "I'm pregnant." came from the room, and that's when they decided it was a good time to go for a walk around the lake and enjoy the beautiful fall scenery.

They were on the east shore, watching the sun set when Mac asked. "Do you want children?"

Aaron turned to face her. "Of course. I've always wanted a big family, to have a better family life than I did growing up. Dave's wanted a family for as long as I've known him."

Mac arched an eyebrow. "Then why doesn't he have any? He was married three times."

"It was his wives that didn't want any children."

"What?"

He nodded. "The first one didn't want any, just wanted to pursue her career and let Dave pursue his. Wife number two went ahead and got her tubes tied to prevent any pregnancy."

"What about number three?"

"She did the worst thing according to Dave." Aaron sighed. "Which is why I sided with you."

"She had an abortion."

He nodded. "Yep. Dave was so angry. She hadn't even hinted at it. When he confronted her, she told him she didn't want a baby because she'd get fat and wouldn't be able to party anymore."

"Oh my God."

"Yeah. If Lynn had gone and done it, at least without talking to him first, she'd be out the door for him. He'd never speak to her again."

"So we weren't being harsh when we locked her up?"

He shook his head. "No. I wouldn't be able to see Dave go through that again, just like I'm sure you don't want to see Lynn go through a terrible breakup again."

"Yeah." She sat in silence while pondering the recent happenings. "What would happen if we were in their shoes?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, if we were to get pregnant before being married and planning for it and stuff."

"Mac, is there something going on? Or are you just scared I might react the opposite of Dave and be angry that you would be pregnant?"

She didn't say anything.

"Mac?"

She sighed. "Both."

"I don't think I'd be angry, sweetheart." He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Now can you tell my what's going on?"

She reached into the small bag she had brought with her. She pulled out a small box and handed it to him. "Here."

He took the box and slowly opened it. In it lay a very familiar white stick. 'Pregnant' could be read on the small screen. He looked up at her. "When did you take this?"

"Two weeks ago." She whispered. She didn't know what to expect.

"And you didn't say anything."

She shook her head. "I didn't know what to do. I made an appointment to see my doctor and once she confirmed it, then I waited to tell you."

"When did she confirm it?" Aaron, despite suspecting the pregnancy because of the questions, was still a little surprised.

"Yesterday. I went while Lynn napped."

"And it's 100%?"

"Yeah. I'm pregnant Aaron."

He wasn't angry. He was thrilled. The woman of his dreams was having his child and they were going to be married soon. "Are you happy?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I just want us to be happy together though."

"I am happy. It may not have been the way I planned on it happening, but I'm happy." He kissed her. "How far along?"

"About six weeks or so."

He did the math. "Dave's birthday?"

"I guess so."

"But you didn't suspect it earlier?"

"No, because I thought I had my period, just lighter."

He looked at her, confused.

"Some women can get what they call implantation bleeding, which means it's like a period but it's not a period."

"Ah." He hugged her. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I. It's a total shock."

"But it's a good one. Promise me one thing."

She nodded. "Anything."

"Let me know next time you suspect it. I want to be there when you find out."

She laughed. "Next time won't be for a while but most definitely, you'll be the first to know."

The two cuddled and watched the sun set and the geese fly overhead. It was a good day. Now if only Dave and Lynn could work out their issues, and it would be perfect.

_**Dave and Lynn…**_

"You're what?"

"I'm pregnant. And I know you're going to hate me, and you'll never want to be with me again and that you don't want any kids yet." She started to rant.

Dave stopped her by kissing her deeply. "Where on earth did you get that idea?"

"Because you've been married three times, no kids. We're not married and I'm pregnant." She sobbed again. "I ran away thinking I could fix it and then things could go back to normal."

He scooted closer to her. "Why would it have to be fixed?"

"Because you don't…"

"No bella. You're not getting it. I'm happy." He smiled at her. "I've always wanted children."

"But?"

"My ex-wives didn't want any. One was career oriented, another was stubborn and prevented it from ever being a possibility and number three got pregnant and before telling me, aborted it and then lied to me."

Lynn felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She had almost turned out like ex-wife number three. "Is that why you divorced them?"

"Yes. I'm Italian. Italians have big families, by denying me that, they were ultimately denying my happiness. Were you planning an abortion? Be honest. I won't be angry unless it's already happened."

"I had an appointment for tomorrow, but Mac found me and then you came and now I'm really confused."

"Please bella. Unless you really don't want to have this child, please don't go through with the appointment tomorrow."

"I was only going to it because I didn't think you'd want it." She wiped away a tear. "I don't believe in abortion."

"So all because you thought I wouldn't want it?"

She nodded. "I want to keep our child Dave. I really do."

"When did you find out?"

"I did the home test this morning, and got it confirmed at a clinic this afternoon. I had just gotten home when Mac and Aaron showed up."

"Do you know how far along?"

She shook her head. "I didn't want to know. But I can guess."

"Okay. What's your guess?"

"I think we made this baby the night of your birthday party."

"Really?" His eyes lit up.

"Yeah. It's the only time the condom broke."

He thought back. "True." He kissed her forehead. "Will you come back to D.C. with me? We can go see a doctor and find out more details?"

She nodded. "Yes. God yes!" She tried to hug him, forgetting about the damned handcuffs that held her to the bedframe. "Ow!"

"Aaron!" Dave shouted. "Get your ass in here!"

No one answered. He went out into the main part of the cottage and didn't find them either. He looked around the house for bulk cutters to cut them off, and found that the cottage only had a screwdriver. He looked at it and realized it was too big to undo the cuffs with. He went back to the room. "They're not there and there aren't any tools in this place."

"Is their car still here?" She asked.

"Yea. But they aren't."

"They probably went out for a walk to let us talk."

"They should be back by now." He looked at his watch. "We've been talking for two hours."

"Go look for them. I'll wait here."

"I'm not leaving you alone here. Hang on, I'll go see if I have my old cuff spare keys in my car." He kissed her quickly. When he returned, he had a saw in hand.

"You planning on being a magician?"

"Ha ha." He scoffed. "No, I'm going to cut them off."

"But doesn't Aaron need them for work?"

"I'll get him a new pair." He set to work at sawing through the chain for the cuffs. It took time, but they eventually came apart. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Lynn, thank God. Promise me, you won't run away again. That you'll talk things over with me."

"I promise you. I'm so sorry." She broke down again. Tears flowed. Tears of joy and tears of pain, the mixed emotions were overwhelming but at least she knew that no matter what was thrown in their path, they'd make it through.

Once she was free, thanks to a childhood collection bobby pins that had stayed in her dresser here, the cuff was completely off her wrist and they went off into the darkening evening to search for their friends.

They found them cuddling by a small driftwood fire about a half-mile from the cottage. Mac was half sitting, half laying down, while Aaron had his ear to her belly. It was an odd sight, but neither Lynn nor Dave paid it much mind.

"Hey!" Dave shouted.

Aaron bolted up and Mac squeaked.

"How the hell did you find us?" Aaron demanded. He was a little mad. He had been enjoying the time with Mac and talking to their child, and now again their alone time had been interrupted by Dave.

"Uh, we followed the trail from the cabin?" Dave answered with a 'duh' tone.

"How'd she get out of the cuffs?" Mac pointed at the free Lynn.

Lynn blushed. "He cut them off me, then I found some old bobby pins."

"He did what?" Aaron took this chance to get in Dave's face. "Those were my cuffs from the Bureau! I need them."

"You shouldn't have cuffed my girlfriend."

"If we hadn't we'd be dealing with a lot more tragedy." Mac retorted.

Soon then tension broke and they all laughed. The group sat around the fire and chatted. They'd stay the night here, and head out in the morning, to be back to the engagement party the next night. Soon Mac asked if Lynn and Dave were going to keep the baby.

"Yes. We are." Lynn beamed. It was the Lynn that Mac remembered. She was thrilled.

"Yay!" Mac clapped. "I get to spoil a new baby!"

"Well two." Aaron pointed out.

Lynn and Dave looked at each other. "We're not having twins."

Aaron turned to Mac. "No, but…"

"I'm pregnant too." Mac smiled.

_**Well, well. I leave it there. Otherwise it'll drag on. Mwahahahaha! I love you guys and all your reviews and alerts and favorites! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of the saga. More to come very soon. Chapter influence: This I Promise You by *NSYNC**_

_**Love always **_

_***Nicole***_


	12. Living on a Prayer

_**A/N: Okay, so after a somewhat predictable chapter, we're going to move forward a bit. I'm so thankful for all the reviews I've been getting and it makes me very happy to know you're all enjoying this story. It's going to be much longer than my current epic… but that's what I get for following the episodes a bit…. Anyhow, onward and upward!**_

_**WARNING: VIOLENCE AND MENTION OF STRANGULATION…**_

_**Still dedicated to MissAmieB.**_

_**Hope you're enjoying it!**_

_**Love always**_

_**Nicole**_

* * *

It had been almost a month since Dave and Aaron had both found out they were about to become fathers. Both were handling it in their own way. Dave had it that Lynn moved in with him at Little Creek. Aaron surprised Mac by selling his place and moving in with her full time. Eventually they would need a bigger house, but for now the house she and Lynn had started their new lives in was their home. Dave bought Lynn a new car. It was another adjustment for them in their lives, but they welcomed it.

The wedding was almost all planned, and the date was set. It was going to be slightly rushed, more than they had wanted as Mac refused to be showing on her big day. The wedding was now about a month away and details were being finalized. The gown was ordered, the bridesmaids were chosen. There were only two. Lynn was the maid of honor, and Penelope was the other. Dave was going to be Aaron's best man while Aaron's brother, Sean, was the other groomsman. It was going to be small, just family and close friends. Mac didn't want the big, fluffy, fancy affair that everyone else wanted. If she could've eloped to the Caribbean, she would've, but Lynn and Pen would kill her if she did that. They were going to be getting married in Aaron's church. The reception was going to be in a banquet hall of the hotel where they'd be spending the night before heading off on their surprise honeymoon that Dave had set up for them.

Lynn and Mac were busy in the office finishing up an electoral campaign file so they could send them out right away. They were ahead of schedule, but that meant more time for their family lives. Even if they weren't living together anymore they still spent as much time as they could together. The office phone was ringing and for some reason Haley wasn't answering. They finished their task and then went out to see why Haley wasn't doing her job. On their way, they searched for Cole, but he too was nowhere to be found.

"This is really strange." Lynn commented.

"Yeah. I know. Like I get that these two hate each other, but they don't just disappear into thin air." Mac was looking around. "Maybe the dark room."

"What on earth would they both being doing in the dark room?"

Mac laughed. "Haley is probably not with Cole, but he's been trying out different techniques that I've been teaching him. So if we can't find him out here." She paused when they got to the darkroom. "Maybe, we'll find him in here." She pointed to the revolving door.

The two of them entered the dark room. Sure enough, Cole was in there practicing his mirror technique.

"Oh hey boss." He said. "I was just trying this out on my break."

"Don't worry about it. Our days almost done and you don't really have much work to do other than help close up, so you can keep working on this." Mac laughed. "On a more serious note, have you seen Haley?"

Cole shook his head. "She went out for lunch, but she's been back for over an hour now. She should be at the desk."

"Oops, we forgot to check there." Lynn face palmed herself.

Mac laughed even harder and Cole just arched his eyebrow. "We thought she was in the file room."

"Yeah. Okay boss." Cole shook his head while laughing. "She finished the filling before lunch. She was actually going to do receptionist duties this afternoon."

With that the girls excused themselves and left the darkroom. They were headed to office when a blood-curdling scream came from the reception area. Mac and Lynn started running, but Cole grabbed them from behind.

"Stay here." He ordered. This was the only time that Cole actually outranked them. He was also security, which meant they did as he said.

He ran ahead and quickly pulled out his concealed pistol. It was part of his job description, that and Aaron had pulled strings to make sure he was properly trained to protect both of the girls. "Haley? What's going on?" He shouted before rounding the corner, just as a shot rang out.

"Cole!" Haley's voice was very high and by her tone, they knew something had gone terribly wrong. There was a thud and Cole hit the ground.

"I thought you said you were the only one here!" A gruff voice shouted. It was followed by a loud crack of flesh being hit with a hard object.

Mac and Lynn looked at each other. "We've got to do something." Lynn whispered.

"Yeah, but what. We can't go out there, that maniac will shoot us!" Mac hissed. "We're pregnant, and we're not superhuman… translation we ain't bulletproof!"

"But Cole's down and they've got Haley." Lynn tried to point out that losing employees wasn't a great idea.

"If we get shot, we could lose our babies." Mac pointed the essential point.

Neither of them was passed the three-month mark just yet. They still had a high chance of miscarriage especially under this level of stress. If either of them were shot, the shock alone could trigger it and neither of them wanted to risk losing their unborn child.

"Office." Lynn pointed to the back stairwell. "We can sneak up and get help."

Mac nodded. They quickly got into the office. They tried locking the door only to remember they had installed glass doors, so even if they were locked, it was still easy for someone to get in if they really wanted to. They locked it anyhow and almost dove for the desk. They quickly dialed 9-1-1 and prayed someone would answer soon.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Haley's head ached something fierce. One of the two guys had pistol-whipped her. She didn't know how this all could've happened. She had just been doing some final tweaking of the schedule for another promotional shoot that Mac was booked for when a guy came in and asked for pricing for family portraits. She had been in the middle of pulling the pricing chart from the filing cabinet behind her desk when the second guy had burst in with a shotgun pointed at her head. That's when she screamed and then that's when Cole had come. She'd hoped that by saying no one else was here they'd take what they came for and left so that Mac and Lynn would be safe. Hell, she hadn't even wanted Cole to get involved. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. She looked around. The two thugs were going through her desk. She looked around the corner of the desk. She could see Cole. He was lying unconscious about five feet from her. She saw his chest rise and fall. He was alive. For now. They'd shot him in the stomach. She remembered hearing somewhere that a shot like that could be lethal if the victim didn't get help right away. Now if only she had had the chance to push the silent alarm, Cole could get help. She only hoped that Lynn and Mac had snuck out and gotten to safety.

The one thug was busy going through computer files while the other was snooping through all the cabinet drawers behind her desk. Papers were flying everywhere and if she made it out of this alive, she'd be cleaning and reorganizing for weeks. Suddenly the computer snoop looked to his partner.

"Hey, someone's using a line from another part of this building." He pointed to the lit phone.

From her spot on the ground, Haley could see the call was being made from Lynn's office upstairs. She moaned. "Why didn't they use their cells?" She thought.

The second thug grabbed her roughly by the hair and dragged her to the desk. He threw her in the chair and jabbed a finger at the phone. "Where's that call coming from?"

"I don't know."

He wrapped his hand around her throat. "LIAR!" He spat. He slowly closed his fingers around her throat. "Where. Is. It. Coming. From?"

"Boss's office." She gasped. She was starting to see stars.

The first thug took off. The second one dropped her. Her hands instinctively went to her throat as she coughed violently.

"You're lucky I need you alive." He backhanded her face and he went back to emptying the file cabinet.

Just before the world went dark as Haley collapsed to the carpet, she managed to knock the silent alarm button.

* * *

_**Lynn's Office…**_

* * *

"Come on." Lynn muttered as she waited for the connection to click. "We really need to get a new phone connection in this building."

The line began ringing just as there was a crash of glass. Mac screamed. Lynn dropped the phone. A bulky gunman stood with his AK-47 aimed at them. He grabbed Mac off the floor. He put the gun to her back. "Move." He said, shoving Mac in front of him, using her as a human shield.

Lynn obediently went ahead. Neither of them wanted to risk pissing this guy off more than they already had. They made it downstairs and Mac cried out. "Cole!"

Haley heard Mac's voice and she wanted to cry. They'd found them. Now they were all screwed. Hopefully she had hit the button hard enough for the alarm to go through.

Mac stared in horror. Cole was lying in a pool of his own blood, a gunshot to his belly. Tears rolled down her face. Lynn just stared. The shock hit her. They were being held hostage, and Cole was possibly dead or dying and they had no help on the way. All hope they had was slipping away.

* * *

_**BAU…**_

* * *

Aaron was just finishing a meeting with the director when Penelope barged in.

"Sirs, I'm sorry, but this is really important."

"What's wrong Miss Garcia?" The director asked.

She looked to Hotch who nodded. "I just got a call for Agent Hotchner. The silent alarm at A & M just got pushed. Police are on scene and it's not good."

Hotch jumped. "Are the girls at work?"

"Yes. They're using them as human shields. Cole's down and Haley's in and out of consciousness from what they could see."

Hotch tore out of the office. "Call Dave and let him know. I'm heading there now." He ran to his SUV and turned on the sirens and lights and headed out.

Penelope called him via his earpiece. "Rossi's on his way there and he's livid."

"To be expected." Aaron said as he turned the SUV, almost on two wheels. "How many?"

"Two gunmen. One has a shotgun and pistol, the other had an AK."

Aaron swore under his breath. "Is there a hostage negotiator there?"

"Yes, sir. They're demanding that the "truth be revealed." I don't understand it." She said. "I can't lose them. They're some of the only family I have left."

"Calm down Garcia. We'll get them home safe." He disconnected and said to himself. "We have to."

He was really worried. No one knew the girls were pregnant. Only the two couples knew. They were waiting until the wedding to reveal it. He silently prayed that nothing would happen to them. He couldn't lose anyone again. He floored it.

* * *

_**Dave…**_

* * *

His heart almost stopped when Penelope called to tell him that Lynn was being held hostage at her work. He hit himself for not going in with her. He had nothing to do at home. He had been blocked on his latest novel for a while now. He grabbed his things and tore out. He just prayed that everything would be alright.

Upon his arrival at the office, his heart stopped. There were roadblocks, fire trucks, ambulances, and police cruisers everywhere. A news helicopter was in the sky. He stopped the car and ran towards one of the blockades. He flashed his ID and explained the situation. The police officer manning the blockade pointed him in the direction of the command truck. There he would get the news on how Lynn was and if anything could be done to get them out unscathed.

"I'm Dave Rossi." He said when he entered the truck.

"Dave." Aaron waved him over. "Sergeant, this is the other woman's partner."

"I'm sorry to meet under such circumstances Agent Rossi. You're a legend. We're doing our best here but they're not making any sense."

"What do they want?"

"The truth." The sergeant grimaced. "We don't know about what and they've cut all communications inside."

That wasn't a good sign. "Shit." Dave punched the wall next to him. "Do we know who they are?"

Aaron shook his head. "We've got squat on these guys."

"How can we get the truth without any details?"

"I've got Garcia looking into it, but it's not easy when we literally have nothing to go on." Aaron sighed. "The sergeant has a group ready to go in the back and hopefully they can get these guys out. In the meantime, I'm going to try and get Cole and Halye out of there. For now, they're the worst injured, and I'm sure they got those injuries protecting our women."

Dave nodded. "Let me do it."

Aaron looked concerned. "Dave, are you sure?"

"Someone needs to." Dave shrugged as he took the Kevlar vest that an officer offered him. He then grabbed the bullhorn and headed out to try and save the woman he loved.

* * *

_**Inside the hostage situation…**_

* * *

Mac was terrified. She didn't know what to think. She had an AK-47 jabbed in her back, Cole was barely breathing, Lynn was shaking and Haley was unconscious somewhere behind her desk.

Suddenly Dave's voice came over a bullhorn. "I'm speaking to the men inside. We're trying to meet your demands. We need more time. We'd like to negotiate a deal to ensure the safety of those inside."

The two thugs looked to each other. Because of their masks, the girls couldn't read their faces. A phone clanked against the door. The one holding Mac went and made her pick it up. They brought it back inside. The one holding Lynn hostage picked up the phone. "What's the deal you want?" He growled.

"Give us the two injured ones, and we guarantee no one's going to open fire." The voice on the other end said.

"I'll throw the man out, but all the women stay with us. Change your mind, this one bites the bullet." He shoved the gun deeper into Mac's back.

Aaron watched from the truck with binoculars. It ripped into him to see his fiancée shoved around like that. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs for the assholes to not harm his fiancée and unborn child. He knew Dave felt the same way. He continued to watch as they literally tossed Cole out of the building. SWAT members ran up and gathered him.

"Roll those medics. He's alive!" One of them shouted.

Once he was behind the barricades, Dave and Aaron rushed to his side. They hoped to get information. Sadly, Cole had lost a lot of blood and was unconscious. They watched as he was loaded into the nearest ambulance and taken away.

"That was a bad wound." Dave pointed out.

"I just hope the girls didn't see it." Aaron was concerned. "That's the last thing they need haunting them."

Dave agreed and the two went back to the command truck in hope of getting some news of progress.

* * *

_**Inside…**_

* * *

Mac was getting anxious. She wanted to get out of here. She also didn't appreciate the pressure of the barrel of the common terrorist weapon in her back. She wanted to just curl up and disappear. She wanted to be Aaron's arms. She knew that if Dave was here, Aaron was too and she knew he had to be worried sick about this whole thing. She silently prayed to a God she had forgotten about years ago when she learned the truth about her mother. She'd been so angry, and now she was pleading that that same God save her life.

Lynn looked around. She saw Haley. Their receptionist was now fully conscious but looked like Hell warmed over. She had a bunch of bruises along her face and neck, as well as dried blood along the one side of her head. Lynn guessed that's where they had hit her in brute force. She then turned to Mac. Mac looked as if she'd just seen a ghost. Lynn hoped that nothing would happen to send her friend into shock. She then turned to the terrorists (that was the only thing she could think of calling them). She watched as the one not holding Mac paced. He was unfamiliar to her, but then she watched the one holding Mac. His walk and limp seemed somewhat familiar. The way he held her it was all suggestive of an injury to the predominant shoulder. This guy was the most aggressive and he seemed to be the brains behind the operation. There was something familiar about him. Now if only she could put her finger on it.

Thug one looked his leader. He hadn't wanted it to be this way, but he'd told him that it was the only way to get them to acknowledge the truth. He shrugged. Then the other one approached him and handed off his hostage. He went after the other woman. He just prayed that they'd make it out alive.

He pushed Mac to his partner and then went to approach the real reason as to why he'd gotten involved in this. He didn't care about his partner's issues. He cared about revenge. He grabbed Lynn's arm and dragged her across the room. He stared at her. When she refused to look him in the eye, he clamped his hand around her throat. "Look at me."

Lynn whimpered. She wanted nothing to do with these morons. She looked at him. His eyes. "It's you!" She exclaimed.

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, so I leave it there. To be updated again very soon. Hope you enjoyed it.**_

_**Read and Review please!**_

_**Song choice: Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi.**_

_**Nicole**_


	13. Bleed Red

_**A/N: Okay, I apologize for the cliffy, but it's necessary. You'll see why. Please read and review. As always, I thank those of you who read the last chapter and reviewed it. Your reviews keep encouraging me to write.**_

_**Still dedicated to MissAmieB!**_

_**Love y'all!**_

_**Nicole**_

"_It's you!" She exclaimed._

Lynn was now terrified. "How'd you get out? How'd you find me!" Tears streamed freely.

Mac turned to see Lynn. She was shaking. "What did you do to her?" She shouted at the jerk holding her best friend.

The man holding her tightened his grip. "Shut up!" He shouted. He then lowered his voice. "This is for your own good."

That didn't make sense to Mac. How was holding them hostage for their own good?

_**Outside…**_

They finally had set up some bugs that could pick up what was being said in the building. They needed all the help they could get in identifying these guys. They listened. It was silent. All of a sudden, "It's you!"

"Lynn knows one of the guys." Dave gasped. "Get Garcia to look into her."

Aaron called his tech and gave her the information. She told them she'd start digging.

They continued to listen in, hoping to get some information that could be helpful in getting their loved ones out of there.

_**Inside…**_

Lynn stared at her captor. She wanted answers. He was supposed to be gone. He just grinned maniacally.

"Finally caught on did you?" He spat on her face.

Mac finally heard him speak clearly. Her heart sank. If he was here, that meant they were goners. She began to sob silently. She wanted to be in Aaron's arms, not dying here at the hand of a pure psychopath.

_**Meanwhile…**_

At the exact moment that they were waiting to hear Lynn identify her captor, Penelope called.

"OMG OMG OMG!" She was hyperventilating on the phone. "I got something."

"Talk to me." Aaron ordered as he put her on speaker.

Penelope came over the speaker of Aaron's cell while Lynn's voice came over their earpieces. "Seth!"

Dave and Aaron turned to face each other. Lynn's psycho ex had found her, and now her and another nut job had found them. Aaron took Pen's call while Dave listened in for any information that Lynn could give them.

"How'd he get out Garcia?" Aaron demanded.

"I don't know. All I know is that from the records, some judge granted him parole early."

"Shit."

"My feelings exactly sir." Penelope continued. "I've been checking him out. None of his former contacts are now in contact with him. They're all out of the picture."

"Then who's the new guy?"

Penelope sighed. "From what I can see, he's someone that he's known for a while but was out of contact with him for years."

"Great." Aaron sighed. "Do we have a name?"

"Not yet."

"Keep working on it, we're going to try and work out a strategy to get in and get them out."

"Got it. I'll keep digging." The line disconnected and Aaron returned to join Dave and the sergeant.

"Well?" Aaron asked.

Dave shook his head. "The shithead got out on early parole and hooked up with dumber a few weeks ago."

"Same as what Garcia got." Aaron was running low.

"The partner keeps muttering about how it's for their own good." The sergeant added.

Aaron took that information and gave it to Garcia, ordering her to dig as deep as humanly possible into the girls' lives. He hung up and again they waited.

_**Inside…**_

Seth continued to laugh. "I waited this whole time to get even." He slapped Lynn. "I don't care if you're someone else's tramp now. You're still mine until I choose to let you go!"

"Let her be!" Mac shouted. She couldn't stand seeing him again. "Just leave us both go."

The other man lowered himself to face her. "Don't fight it." He then grabbed a handkerchief and gagged her with it. "You need to know the truth."

"What truth?" She was muffled by the gag but he could still make out what she was saying.

"What both your parents hid from you." He stood up and grabbed rope and began to bind her to the chair at the wrist and ankles.

_**Dave and Aaron…**_

"Penelope, look into both the girls' parents." Aaron ordered.

Penelope stuttered. "Parents?"

"The UNSUB just mentioned it. Whatever his tie to the girls is, revolves around both their parents."

He could hear the keyboard clacking.

"Both girls were raised in single parent homes." Penelope started. "Mac's mom walked out when she was about 4. She doesn't remember her mother."

"What about Lynn's dad?" Dave had now joined Aaron since it had gone silent in the building.

"Looks like he was never in the picture."

"A connection?" Dave arched a brow.

"Not big enough." Hotch sighed. "Dig deeper."

"I am sirs, but… wait… hang on I may have something."

"What is it?" They demanded in unison.

"The stories the girls were fed were fake."

"WHAT?"

Penelope paused. "I just found secret files. Turns out my uncle was a sneaky man."

"What the hell is she blabbing about?" Dave asked.

Aaron shook his head. "I have no fucking idea."

"Lynn's dad and Mac's dad… are the same man." Penelope kept clicking. "And they share the same mother."

"What!" Dave turned to Aaron.

"Neither girl obviously knows." Aaron pointed out.

"I also just confirmed they're full sisters through the DNA we have on file." Penelope added. "Okay, stop the presses I found more!"

"Well start spilling, we're running out of time." Aaron said as he watched the UNSUB tie his fiancée to a chair and leave her completely exposed to any attack that was possible.

"The girls have two brothers."

At this point, nothing Penelope could tell them would surprise them anymore. The girls were sisters without even knowing it. If they did, they had it so blocked in their memory that it's why they never suspected it.

"What happened with the brothers?"

"Well, I know that Mac's older brother, well wherever he fits in between them, died shortly before their mother left."

"What about the other one?" Aaron asked.

"He was the youngest. He was abducted before his first birthday… oh my god… he's Mac's twin."

"Garcia, you're their family… you didn't know any of this?" Dave asked suspiciously.

"No sir. My parents didn't talk to Uncle Eric much. They didn't approve of his ways of living. They were hippies."

"And he wasn't." Aaron sighed. Garcia's knowledge of her own family was limited because of prejudices of the times. "So when did you come back into the picture."

"About the time that Mac started school."

"Okay. Thanks Garcia." Aaron cut the call and turned to Dave. "Do you think it's the younger brother? That he's been alive all this time and he's finally escaped his kidnappers?"

Dave shook his head. "I don't know what to think. If he managed to flee them, and he'd been their hostage for this long, and he'd been kidnapped at that age, he probably believed that he was their son."

"Stockholm syndrome." Aaron groaned. "Just great."

"Could it be possible it's someone else in the family that knows the family secret, and decided now was the best time for it to be revealed?" Dave tossed another idea into the ring.

"I don't know. This whole thing is a mess."

"Neither girl would remember having brothers. If something that traumatic happened, everything from before that leading up to the even would be blocked in their memory." Dave pointed out.

Profiling these types of cases were almost as bad as profiling a LDSK. They were up in arms on what to do, but with an AK-47 and a shotgun in there, there was little they could do without risking their women getting caught in the crossfire.

_**Inside…**_

Mac stared at her captor. His eyes were gentle. It was as if he didn't want to be here in this situation. That whatever it was that he wanted with them, could've been resolved with words, without the need of arms. He paced the room. He had also tied up Haley who was white as a sheet and shaking. The terror of the situation was plainly visible in her eyes. Mac glanced over at Lynn. Seth was roughing her up. He was trying to get her to break, but she wasn't giving in. She was worried that with that shotgun, he'd do something drastic, like shoot her to get some answers.

Dave's voice came over the bullhorn. It had been a long while since they'd tried to communicate with the thugs but they were trying again. "Seth. We know it's you. We know that you want revenge, but that's not going to solve any of your problems."

Seth just scoffed. "Who does this clown think he is?"

"Don't know. But I still want the truth out there."

Seth pushed Lynn to the ground and stalked over to his partner. He ripped off his mask. Mac and Lynn gasped. The man could've been their twin brother. He had the same facial structure as Lynn, but his lips, hair and eyes were the same as Mac.

"Who are you?"

"I'm your brother." He said. "Your both my sisters."

Mac just stared in shock as Lynn's jaw dropped. She was suddenly hit with a flashback.

_**Flashback…**_

"_Eric, we can't keep doing this." Her mother pleaded._

"_It's my job."_

"_Yes, but we're your family." She pointed at Aislynn and her younger brother, Evan. She then placed her hands over her very swollen belly. She was due to have her babies any day. "We're going to have twins and all you care about is getting deeper into your cover with that crime family!"_

_Aislynn didn't understand. She and Evan were too young to understand. She just wanted a little sister. Someone to play dollies with, not have them stolen all the time. She was almost 4. Evan was 2, almost 3. _

_Their father just stood there, arms crossed. "I need to do this. Once this family's out of the picture, we can be a real family. I can't get my cover blown."_

_Aislynn kept watching the tension build. _

_A few days later, her mother's labor started and they rushed to the hospital. Her father wasn't there at the beginning but he arrived in time to see the babies being born. When she and Evan were allowed back into the room, their mother held two tiny bundles. One wrapped in pink, the other in blue. Aislynn understood the general concept. Blue meant a brother and pink meant a sister. She had one of each. That was okay._

_She snuck over to the bed to see them. "Names mama." She said softly._

_"Your brother's name is Dominic and your sister's is Mackenzie."_

_Aislynn gently touched each of them… they were cute. Maybe another brother wouldn't be so bad._

_**Flash forward…**_

_The twins first birthday was coming up, and there was going to be a big party. Aislynn and Evan were so excited. The night before the party, Aislynn was awoken by the terrified cries of her little brother and sister. She snuck from her bedroom and went across the hall… a tall, dark figure stood over her brother's crib._

"_What are you doin?" She cocked her head to the side. "Who are you?"_

_The man said nothing. He just lifted Dominic from the crib and walked away._

_Aislynn cried out in the night. "Hey! Come back here! You can't take him!"_

_Her screams in the night woke up the entire household. Her parents came running but it was too late. Dominic was gone. Mackenzie was awoken by the commotion but otherwise unharmed. Her father took her in his arms, while Aislynn and Evan were escorted back to their room by their mother._

_**A few years later…**_

_Evan had been getting sick often. Her parents rarely spoke of it. But when they did it quickly turned to an argument. Aislynn and Mac would hide in their shared room under their beds. They wanted to avoid the fighting. When their parents would ask what was wrong, they'd just say they were tired. One day, a huge fight broke out. Mac hid under her bed, covering her eyes. She would cry herself to sleep. Aislynn, being the oldest was a little more curious. She snuck out and went to her parents' door to listen._

"_He's got problems, can't you see that!" Eric shouted._

"_Yes, so what. They're not our fault. We can't just lock him away because of it." Her mother pleaded._

"_He'll only get worse. We won't be able to take care of him." Aislynn didn't understand what her parents were arguing about, but whatever it was, it was upsetting her mother._

"_I won't lock away my son. If he gets treatment… he'll get better…" Her mother was hopeful. "If he recovers and discovers we locked him away, he could come back to hurt us."_

"_And if he doesn't get better?" Her father countered. "Then we just end up torturing our daughters because of him."_

"_I don't want either of them hurt."_

"_Then we don't have much of a choice." Eric concluded._

_Aislynn went back to her room. She heard her parents go into Evan's room and collect him. Her mother came in the room and told them Evan had to go back to the hospital, because he had gotten worse. They'd be back in the morning and that the neighbor would be watching them. She kissed both girls and then left._

_The next morning, their parents returned. Their mother was in tears and their father tried his best to comfort her. Both girls could sense the tension and anguish within both of their parents._

"_Mama?" Mac toddled over to her mother and climbed into her lap. "What wrong?"_

_Their mother wrapped Mac in a tight embrace. "You're brother, Evan, is gone to better place."_

_Both girls broke down into tears. "No." They wept. Their parents took them to their rooms to calm them down._

_The next week, the whole family, clothed in black, were surrounding a small closed casket. They told them that it was better they remember Evan as a healthy boy, and not as he was then. The casket was lowered into the ground and Lynn cried out._

_**End flashback…**_

"EVAN!"

Mac turned to face her best friend. "Who?"

Lynn walked forward before Seth stopped her. "Your name is Evan."

The other man nodded. "Yes. You're my big sister." His voice was that of a giddy child. He then pointed to Mac. "You were just a little tyke when they sent me away."

Mac looked to Lynn. "I don't understand."

"I don't fully understand either, but I just had a memory burst. I saw our house when we were little."

"So you believe this whackjob?" Mac exclaimed. "He's nuts. I don't have any brothers or a sister. I've always wanted one but I found on in you. He's not my brother!" She pointed at Evan.

He became enraged. He wasn't crazy. He was better. The doctors had promised him that. He took two steps forward and hit Mac.

"Evan, no!" Lynn shouted.

"She thinks I'm lying." He pouted. He truly had the mentality of a child.

Lynn tried to calm him down but it wasn't working.

_**Outside…**_

Dave and Aaron listened in. It was a shock when Penelope confirmed that Evan Lambert was truly still alive. His death certificate had been faked to protect the family and that for the past 20 years, he'd been locked away due to a rare mental disability. All documentation showed the some medical treatment had worked so he had been released on his own rapport. He went in search of his family, only to find out they were no longer there.

"Shit!" The sergeant shouted, drawing the agents' attention.

"What?" They approached the table with binoculars. They lifted them to their eyes just in time for them to watch Mac get hit by her brother.

"We have to get in there." Dave said.

"But how?" The sergeant asked.

"I don't care, but we have to do it now!" Aaron shouted, grabbing his sidearm and jumping from the van. Dave quickly followed suit while the SWAT team was given orders.

They were going to sneak in the back way, hopefully able to disarm the two men, and get the women out of there. Dave was going to try and get in the front way, to talk them out of drastic measures on their part.

"I just want to talk to you." Dave shouted.

"Bullshit!" Seth shouted. "I know your type. You ain't comin' in here unless you want these two dead."

"Just let them go, we can talk peacefully."

"Forget it!" Seth grabbed Mac's hair and jabbed his gun under her chin. "One more step, and I pull the trigger."

Dave stopped. This guy was serious. "Let her go."

"No!" The brat got what he wanted! I want my revenge!"

Dave felt helpless as he watched the next events. They all happened in slow motion. The SWAT team had entered and were shouting. Evan complied, instantly dropping his weapon and falling to his knees. Seth aimed his weapon at Mac and pulled the trigger. Lynn threw herself in front of her sister. The bullet hit her in the abdomen and she collapsed to the ground. Dave shouted her name. Evan looked up as his sister fell wounded, his rage building. He grabbed his weapon and fired at Seth, just as SWAT opened fire on them. Seth's bullet-riddled body fell to the ground dead, Evan too collapsed, a bullet to the leg. SWAT was cuffing him as Dave rushed into the building, not waiting for the 'all-clear'.

"Lynn!" Dave cried. "Lynn, look at me."

She was breathing quickly. "It hurts."

"Why'd you do it?" Dave asked, trying to be heard over a hysterical Mac.

"She's my sister. I remembered it all. I know the truth."

He held her tight, the crimson blood seeping through her clothes onto him. He shouted for medics to come and take her. She was barely conscious as they loaded her up and took her away. An officer offered to drive him there so he could be with her. Aaron gave him the go ahead as he went to his fiancée.

"Mac." He breathed. "Are you okay?"

"Lynn… is she okay?" Mac stuttered.

"She will be." He undid the last rope and pulled her tightly to his chest. "Did they hurt you? The baby?"

"I think physically I'm fine. Baby too." She looked down as the medics tended to the man who claimed he was her big brother. "I don't get it. How could I not remember having a big brother?"

Aaron didn't have any answers. "I think that's something we'll leave up to professionals to explain." He waved over a paramedic. He leaned in and whispered. "Take her in. She's pregnant. I want her fully checked over."

The medic nodded and Mac was whisked out of the building. Aaron didn't know what to make of all this mess, but he was going to get to the bottom of all this. He needed to for his family.

_**At the hospital…**_

Dave paced impatiently outside the OR. He wanted to know what was going on. All he'd been told was that surgery was needed and that's where they wheeled her. She'd lost so much blood. He looked down at his hands and saw them stained crimson. He wanted to go wash it away, but at the same time, he couldn't be he wanted to be there when the doctor came out.

"How's she doing?" Aaron's voice made him jump.

"She needed surgery." Dave collapsed into a chair. He felt like he'd been hit by a semi. "Good news though, Cole pulled through, he'll be just fine."

"That's good." Aaron sat next to him.

"How's Mac?" Dave asked. Lynn would want to know when she got out of surgery and was conscious.

Aaron sighed. "She's fine physically. Doc's are keeping her in tonight to be safe, but psychologically, I don't know how she is."

Dave understood. This type of news had shocked them all. There was going to be explanations and that was all there was to it. He wanted the girls' parents there to explain to them why they'd lived a lie for over 20 years. He never understood why people could do that. "She has you. She'll get her answers, just like Lynn will."

"Family of Aislynn Carmichael?" A man in green scrubs asked.

Dave stood up and made his way over to the doctor. Aaron followed close behind. "I'm her boyfriend, Dave Rossi." Dave said. He then pointed to Aaron, "That's her brother-in-law."

"Very good. The surgery went well, very little complications."

"But there were some?" Dave asked.

The doctor nodded somberly. "Sadly."

"Could you please explain?"

"You knew she was pregnant, correct?"

Dave and Aaron nodded.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you, but she lost the baby."

At that point, Dave chest tightened and his breathing became shallow. Aaron put his arm around the older man's shoulder. Dave looked up at the doctor again. "Does she know?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not yet." He sighed. "She's still in recovery. Once she's in her own room, she'll be informed."

"I'll tell her." Dave choked back a sob. His first-born had been taken away because one psycho tried to harm his family. "She'll want to know… will she be able to have other children?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. The damage wasn't to her reproductive system, but the shock of being shot is what caused the miscarriage."

"Thank you doctor."

"I'm sorry Mr. Rossi." The doctor said as he turned to leave.

Aaron and Dave watched as the man left. "I'm sorry Dave." Aaron told his oldest friend.

"I'll go be with her." Dave said as he went to see when she'd be permitted to see her.

"Dave, before you see her, go wash off the blood." Aaron pointed to his hands and shirt. "She doesn't need to see that."

Dave looked down and nodded. "Thanks Aaron."

"That's what family's for Dave. I'll go tell Mac."

The two men parted ways to go and tell the women in their lives the tragic news.

_**A/N: Okay, so I added a few twists. Please don't kill me. Things will get better… **_

_**Please read and review! Song inspiration: Bleed Red by Ronnie Dunn**_

Love always, 

_**Nicole**_


	14. What Hurts the Most

_**A/N: Okay, so I know some of you probably want to kill me for the way I ended the last chapter. I'm sorry, but if I didn't do it that way, the rest of the story wouldn't make sense. Now onwards… I promise I'll try to keep the drama to a minimum for a bit.**_

_**Again, this story is still dedicated to MissAmieB.**_

_**Please Read and Review!**_

_**Love always,  
Nicole**_

_**Aaron…**_

Aaron didn't know how to tell Mac. He stood outside her door. She was resting. He decided to wait a few minutes. He called Garcia.

"Are they alright?" Pen asked concerned. "No one's giving me anything!"

"Mac's physically alright. I'm not sure on her emotional or psychological state though."

"And Lynn."

"She just got out of surgery. She'll be okay." He left the miscarriage part out, as no one but the four of them had known.

"Thank God!" Pen exclaimed. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Call their parents. Don't let them know that you know the truth, or that any one else does."

"On it. Keep me posted."

Aaron put his phone away and went into Mac's room. Mac stirred as he approached the bed. "Hey you." He said softly, gently stroking her hair.

"Hey." Her voice was hoarse from the screaming and crying.

"How are you feeling?"

"Cold." She said. "It's really cold in here."

Aaron went and got another blanket and placed it over her.

"Any news?"

He didn't know where to start. "Cole made it out of surgery. After some time, he'll be just fine."

"Thank God." She was relieved. Seeing him laying a pool of his own blood was terrifying.

"Your parents are on the way too."

"So it's true?" She looked like a porcelain doll, ready to shatter. "That all this time, I really knew my mother? That I had a sister and brothers?"

Aaron nodded. "Yes. It's all true. We'll get answers once your parents arrive.

"What about Lynn?"

That was the question he'd been dreading. "What happened to her?" Mac demanded again.

"She needed surgery. She's in recovery and she'll be okay. Life's going to go back to normal soon enough." He really didn't know how to explain that Lynn had lost the baby.

Mac was still agitated. "What about her baby? When she jumped to protect me, she took the bullet in her stomach."

Aaron remained silent.

"Aaron! What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm sorry Mac." He finally managed. "She lost the baby." He held her tightly as he broke the news.

Mac gasped and broke down. "No!" She wept. "It's all my fault." She sobbed and couldn't stop.

A nurse rushed and asked what all the commotion was about. "She can't be agitated. It's not good for her or the baby."

"I wanted to know about my sister." Mac answered trying to calm herself.

"Just don't upset her anymore, or I'll have to ask you to leave." The nurse ordered sternly.

Aaron nodded. The nurse left and Aaron tried to calm her. He wondered how Dave was breaking the heart-wrenching news to Lynn.

_**Dave…**_

Dave stood outside the recovery room. He saw all the tubes and wires that surrounded Lynn. It was gut-wrenching. A nurse approached.

"Agent Rossi?" She asked.

"Yes." He said, monotone.

"We're going to move her to a room. You can see her then." She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Does she know yet?"

The nurse shook her head. "No. I understand you want to be the one to tell her?"

He nodded. "I don't know how to do it though."

"Break it to her gently." She offered. "Be there for her."

Dave thanked her and followed them as they moved Lynn to the private room Dave had arranged for her. He didn't want some random stranger upsetting her if he wasn't there. This was going to be hard enough on her. Once they had her all set up he went into the room and shut the door. He wanted to be alone with her when he told her the news.

He sat next to her bed, and gently took her hand. It was cool, not warm like it usually was. "I'm here, bella, I'm here."

Lynn eyes began to flutter. "Dave?" She asked. Her voice was hoarse, a consequence of being tubed while in surgery.

"Yes, cara mia, it's me." He kissed her hand. "I'm here."

"Mac?" She asked. She seemed a little disoriented.

"She's here in the hospital." He tried not to break down. "She's fine. In shock, but she's fine. You saved her life."

A small smile appeared on her lips. "That's what big sisters do." She coughed.

Dave grabbed some ice from the bedside table and fed her one ice cube like the doctors had instructed. "I know bella. Cole's going to make it too."

"Good. He's a hard worker." She moved her hand to her belly. Realization hit her. "What about our baby?"

Dave fought to keep it together. "I'm sorry bella."

"No." She shook her head. "No. Please, god no!" She sobbed.

Dave pulled her to him the best he could without pulling wires out. "I'm so sorry love, but our baby's gone."

Sobs took over both their bodies. How could they love someone so much, and they hadn't even met them?

He rubbed her back. Until now, he hadn't truly mourned the loss of their child. It hurt too much to tell her. It hurt to see her mourn, to blame herself.

"Dave, I'm so sorry." She sobbed. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect him."

"No. Aislynn, look at me. Don't blame yourself."

"But I lost our baby. I killed him." She continued to weep, despite the coughing spells that were overcoming her. "I couldn't protect him."

"Aislynn." He said softly. As much as he hurt that his child would never be held, he knew that she'd saved two other lives in the process. "You saved Mac. She and her baby are alive because of what you did."

"But I murdered our baby in the process." She choked on a sob. "You must hate me."

"No, bella." Dave kissed her. "I could never hate you for being selfless. You are you. I love you because of your love for all those that surround you. I saw it today."

"But the baby…"

"We can have other ones. The doctor said once you've recovered, we can try again." He kissed her again, her breathing was calming down. "I'm just thankful you're alive and safe."

She continued to cry, but as she calmed down, she drifted off into slumber. He held her as she slept. He feared that if he let her go, that she'd wake up and panic. He needed her as much as she needed him.

_**A few days later…**_

Both girls were being released. Their parents had arrived but weren't permitted to see the girls in the hospital. They needed time to recover physically before they started to heal emotionally from the ordeal. They needed answers but to accept those answers both girls needed to be in better health.

Both couples were staying in Little Creek at Dave's until the wedding. It was just bigger and they'd be able to recover without the interruption of the urban busyness. Aaron had taken some time off from the BAU to take care of Mac and finalize their wedding plans. The nuptials were only a few weeks away.

The girls spirits had been lifted somewhat. The wedding put everyone in a better mood. Today, on the other hand, the moods could change, as the girls' parents were coming to give them all the answers they so desperately seeked.

Aaron sat in the family room with the girls while Dave let their parents in. This reunion worried both the men. The girls had to stay calm, and no one was sure if that was possible during this meeting.

They soon were all seated in the family room.

"Mom." Lynn looked to her mother. Then turned to face the man she'd always thought of as a father, who really was her father. "Dad." She said.

"How?" Eric asked.

"Long story short…." Mac started. "You lied to us. Lynn remembered everything. How we're actually sisters. And how we have brothers… something that neither of you ever told us." She was angry. Angry that she could've had a 'real' family if they hadn't lied. Angry that their lies had cost them a brother and cost Lynn her child.

"They said you'd never remember." Lynn's mother, Danika said. "You were supposed to be too young, and the events too traumatic."

"I don't understand how you could hide this from us for the past **20** years!" Lynn exclaimed.

"Bella, calm down. Remember what the doctor said." Dave reminded her, taking her hands in his.

"You both want the whole story?" Eric asked.

The girls nodded.

"If we tell you, you have to hear us out completely before you jump to conclusions." Danika pleaded.

The girls nodded.

Eric asked again. "How did the memories get triggered?" He turned to face Lynn.

"Because Evan found us." She answered. "He went through Seth to find me. He found us. He just wanted us to know the truth, but Seth, he wanted revenge. Seth tried to shoot Mac, I threw myself in front of her. I lost my baby."

Their parents just sat there, jaws hanging. "Baby?"

Lynn nodded. "I miscarried my child because of this. Dave and I were heartbroken to find out, but knowing that Mac's alive and I still have my sister is enough for us to push through and try again later."

"We didn't even know you'd met someone." Eric offered. "I knew about Mac, but no one mentioned you, Lynn."

"Because, I didn't want to make a big deal. We were waiting until I was passed the 3 month mark to tell everyone."

Danika got up and hugged her daughter. "I'm sorry sweetheart." She turned to Eric. "I told you that sending him away was a bad idea."

He nodded solemnly. "I know. You were right, and I'm sorry."

"Can you please tell us why? Tell us what happened that our family was ripped apart at the seams?" Mac asked, her voice shaking.

They nodded. Eric began. "I was working with the CIA. We were infiltrating crime families across the states. At the time, I'd been stationed in Connecticut. I was in deep cover, and your mother wasn't happy about it. She didn't like the life. She wanted a normal life, something I was going to give her after the case. This was the year Mackenzie was born."

"And Dominic." Danika added. "Dominic is…was your twin brother Mac."

"What happened to him?" Mac asked. She wanted to know the whole truth.

"Around the time of your first birthday, Aislynn went into the nursery because she heard you two crying." Danika started but her voice broke.

Eric put his arm around her and continued. "The kidnapper had broken in via a broke window in the bathroom. He'd turned off the baby monitor so we wouldn't hear. Aislynn woke up and went to check on you. She caught the man but at 4 almost 5, there wasn't much she could do. She shouted after him, which was when we woke up. There wasn't anything we could do. There was no evidence. We looked for a long time, before we were told to accept the inevitable that Dominic was probably dead." He took a deep breath. "Around that time, we noticed that Evan was beginning to have severe behavioral problems and he was constantly ill. We had him checked out, and over three years we were given a multitude of diagnoses, but none came with a plan of treatment."

The girls were beginning to understand.

"Finally, we were told that there was a treatment being offered, but it required him to be locked away." Danika spoke again, after regaining her composure. "I didn't want that. I would've rather learned to deal with it as he grew so that he'd always have a family that loved him, no matter how different he was."

"I however," Eric took over. "Wanted the best for Evan. I demanded he be locked away. The treatment was experimental and even if it worked, he'd never be a 'normal' person. He had the mentality of a child and he always would. It turns out there was a flaw in his DNA and it didn't permit for his mind to age with his body. He may look like an adult, but he'll never act like one. He's forever caught in the childhood stage. I didn't want to risk him hurting either of you so I convinced your mother to commit him."

"So why didn't he get released when he was 18?" Aaron asked. Traditionally, children who are committed by their parents are released at 18 unless they're proven too dangerous to be in 'normal' society.

"The commitment was for as long as he required treatment." Danika replied. "He was released when he was 21."

"So why did it take all this time for him to find us?" Mac asked. "He was 6 when you sent him away, I was 4. He was locked away for 15 years and he's just finding us now? 5 years after he'd been released?"

"We had hidden our records well. To be honest, we never thought he'd recover. We never thought he come looking for us." Eric replied honestly. "Another part of the treatment was that should he be released he was to be told we had died in an accident shortly after his treatment started."

"Well if he was told that, someone told him otherwise." Dave pointed out.

"We can see that." Danika said. "We don't know how he found out otherwise, and we won't until we talk to him, but if he was with Seth when this all happened, I would guess that Seth searched him out and told him."

"How would Seth know the truth if neither Mac nor I could remember?" Lynn asked the question that had popped into everyone's head.

"Seth was older than you, and his father actually was one of the men that your father was trying to put away, and eventually did." Danika said, sadness filled her voice. "It's why I never approved your dating him. I knew he knew the truth and I was always scared he'd tell you."

"Is that what he meant by revenge?" Mac looked between her parents. "During the whole thing, he kept saying that he wanted revenge."

"Probably." Dave sighed.

Aaron agreed. "If he knew the whole truth, he could've gone to look for Evan, and he'd want to get back at your dad for locking his behind bars."

"Even after twenty plus years?" Mac directed the question to her father.

"Sadly yes. Revenge is a horrible motivator but it works each time." Eric nodded. "So back to what happened. Once we knew Eric was locked away for his own safety, we had document created to show he'd died. We held the funeral. At that point psychologists were put in place to help wipe all of it from your memories, or least block it."

"It worked." Lynn pointed out.

"Until now." Mac concluded her sister's thought.

Their parents nodded.

"But what I don't understand," Aaron began. "Is how you two lived separate lives and each took a daughter to raise under lies."

"It's not something either of us are proud of." Eric whispered.

"We were told that if they continued to live in the same house, they could get triggered and remember the truth." Danika offered. "We couldn't risk it. So we moved to Maine, we bought houses close by and made it look like Mac's mother had walked out on her father for some other man with lots of power. Causing such a dramatic entrance, would keep all suspicions off of me."

"We made sure you became friends and that you'd spend as much time as possible together. You were inseparable as children and the bond continued, even though neither of you could remember the reality that you were actually sisters." Eric explained.

"So that's why we always wished you guys would get married." Lynn pointed out.

"Deep down you knew we were, I'm sure of it." Danika smiled. She turned to face Aislynn. "So I took back my maiden name and spun the story that your real father had walked out on me, and the whole town was sympathetic. I moved after your father and Mackenzie had settled in Calais."

"Are you legally divorced?" Dave asked the question that had been bugging him since this conversation started.

"In all reality, no, we're still husband and wife. The paper work you'll find states it. But for the sake of our families, we never met each other until we moved to Calais." Eric explained.

"Do you two still love each other?" Mac asked. Even now as an adult, she wondered about her parents' relationship.

"Yes. All those summers, while you would go camping?" Eric asked.

The girls nodded.

"That was the time we spent alone, enjoying our marriage in secret." Danika smiled.

It all made sense now.

"And now that you know the truth, we can truly have our lives back." Eric said, hope resounding in his voice. "If you'll allow us to truly be a family again?" He took turns looking at both of his daughters.

The girls looked at each other. It was almost as if they were communicating telepathically. "Yes." They answered.

"We want to be a real family. We want it to be the way it should've been." Mac smiled. She then turned to Aaron, "Is that okay with you?"

He nodded. "All I want is your happiness."

"What are they talking about?" Danika asked her husband.

"Oops. I forgot to tell you." He blushed. "Our baby is getting married."

She punched his shoulder. "How the hell did you 'forget' to tell me something that important?"

He shrugged his shoulders. Danika turned to face her youngest daughter. She'd always wanted to be more active in Mac's life but because of the situation it had been impossible. "When's the wedding?"

"In a couple weeks." She smiled. "You're going to come right, mom?"

Danika's eyes filled with tears as she heard her daughter call her "mom" instead of "Aunt Danika" like she had for the past twenty years. "Of course sweetheart." She got up and ran to hug her youngest and her future son-in-law. "Congratulations." She then walked over to Lynn. She hugged her daughter tightly. "I'm so sorry that we've hidden this for all these years. I'm sorry we weren't honest and that we weren't here when you needed us most."

Lynn hugged her mother back. "I understand Mom. I still love you, and I'm thankful to know that I've really known my dad all these years." She turned to Dave. "I think I should properly introduce him. Mom, Dad… this is David Rossi… and he's the love of my life."

Hugs and handshakes went around the room. It was as if they'd never truly been separated by lies of protection.

"Mom, Dad…" Mac got their attention. "What about Evan?"

The question had passed through their minds. They weren't really sure. "I don't know." Eric offered.

"I can put in a word, possibly because of the situation, they may go lightly on him and he'd only have to spend a small amount of time in prison or a psychiatric ward." Aaron stepped forward. "I think he's already served his sentence a long time ago."

They were all in agreement. Aaron set about to calling the District Attorney's office to give the information. He knew what family meant, and Mac's family was also his family, no matter how chaotic or dysfunctional it may be.

"Oh!" Mac exclaimed.

Aaron rushed to her side. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." She said. "There it is again." She took his hand and put it on her still flat abdomen. "Feel that?"

He nodded.

Her mother was watching from a distance. "Mac, are you pregnant?"

The whole room went silent. Mac could feel her family's eyes on her. She nodded slowly. "I was going to wait to tell you. But I think baby just did."

"Oh my God!" Lynn exclaimed. "You felt it moved?"

Mac nodded. "I think so." She smiled, and tears of joy fell down her cheeks.

Cheers and congratulations passed throughout the room. A family was reunited. Even though Lynn had lost the baby, she was still joyous. It hurt, but it was a pain that would heal, and she could try again. For now, she just wanted to be there for her sister, and now it was all real.

_**A/N: Well, there's the explanation… I hope it all made sense to you. I know this is more updating than I've done in a while, but I've been in a groove to keep writing, so I am. More to come when possible.**_

_**Please read and review!**_

_**Song inspiration: What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts**_

_**Love always!**_

_**Nicole**_


	15. I Keep On Lovin' You

_**A/N: Well, after a bunch of dramatic twists, I'm going to calm it down a touch.**_

_**Thanks again for all the reviews! I'm so glad you're enjoying up to this point!**_

_**Please keep reading and reviewing!**_

_**Love always!**_

_**Nicole **_

The wedding was a week away. Mac was headed in with Lynn and her mother for her final gown fitting.

_**Flashback…**_

"Are you sure you just don't want to go in with the girls?" Danika asked.

"You're my mom. We haven't been able to do much mother-daughter stuff, so I figured you should be able to join in this important part of my life. I'm only going to get married once." Mac countered.

"She has a point Mom." Lynn stepped up to bat for her sister. "I think you should come."

Danika smiled. "Only if you're both certain."

Both girls nodded giddily. "Yes!"

So it had been decided that they'd all go in, and truly catch up on the time they'd lost.

_**End flashback…**_

"Welcome back Mac!" The kind-faced owner of the bridal boutique greeted them.

"Thank you." Mac smiled. She would be the 'blushing bride'.

The owner also shook Lynn's hand. "A pleasure to see you again as well Aislynn. We actually have all of the gowns, bridal party as well, in. Will Penelope be joining us?"

Mac nodded. "She'll be in later. She had to finish something at work before she could come." She took her mother's hand. "I'd also like to introduce my mother. Danika Carmichael."

Danika shook the older woman's hand. "Actually girls, it's Lambert." When she saw the older woman's confusion, she explained. "It's a complicated story but due to my husbands work, the family was split up for protection and the girls only just recently found out that they're biologically sisters and that I'm both their mother."

"Congratulations!" She exclaimed. She hugged each of the girls. "That's amazing news!"

The girls thanked her and then the group headed to the alterations part of the store. Lynn was the first to show off her gown. She would match Mac's gown in a sense. Her dress was the same color as the color insets in Mac's gown. Penelope's gown was a lighter shade. When Lynn tried it on, it fit like a glove. "It's perfect!" She exclaimed.

"Well come out so we can see it." Mac clapped.

Danika agreed. "We don't have x-ray vision darling."

Lynn stepped out from behind the curtain. The gown clung to her curves perfectly. It was sexy but sophisticated. "What do you think?"

"It's the perfect dress for you." Mac exclaimed.

The gown had been ordered out of a catalogue. They didn't know how it would fit when they'd ordered it.

"I have to agree. The color, everything. It's perfect." Danika smiled. She had always hoped she'd actually get to be a part of this but because of Eric's past; it had only been a dream. Now it was her reality. A tear of pride and joy slid down her cheek.

"Mom." Lynn gasped. "Don't cry. Not yet."

"I can't help it." Danika said as she wiped the tear away. "I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I'd get to see this day."

Mac hugged her mother, something that she'd never tire of. "Mom, it's okay. Don't cry. This is a time of joy for all of us."

"These are tears of joy, love." Her mother replied. "I missed not being there for you more than I could."

"You're here now." Lynn pointed out.

Mac smiled. "And that's all that matters."

The trio hugged.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." Pen's voice came from behind them.

"Not a problem." Mac turned to see her other bridesmaid, dressed in vibrant pink today. "You're just in time to try on your gown."

"Perfect." Pen glanced around Mac and her jaw dropped. "Aunt Danika?"

"Penelope." Danika nodded. "You're all grown up."

"But I thought you'd left." Pen was confused. No one had told her that her aunt was actually still in the picture.

"Those were the lies we used to protect our family." Danika said as she put her arms around her two daughters. "Now that the truth is out, we can be a family again."

Pen grinned. "It's the best gift anyone could ever give these two for this special occasion."

"Especially with…" Danika started, but Mac cut her off.

"She doesn't know." She hissed.

Lynn shook her head. "No one does."

"Oops."

"What don't people know?" Penelope looked between her two cousins.

"You'll find out next week." Mac tried to change the subject. "Try on the dress."

Penelope put her hands on her hips. "What don't people know?"

"You're not going to find out, and if you don't put that gown on, you're not going to see me in mine."

Penelope's jaw dropped. "You wouldn't."

Mac nodded and pointed to the change room. "Hop to it Skippy."

Pen glared, jokingly. "Fine, but I'd better find out next week what's going on."

"You will, now hurry up." Lynn whined. "I want to see her dress again!"

Penelope hurried and changed. She came out, and her gown also was perfect. No alterations were needed for either bridesmaid gown. This was perfect, and cost effective.

Now it was Mac's turn. She slipped behind the curtain and with the seamstress's help she got into the gown. The seamstress did up the corset style back and nodded. "Perfect."

The curtain was pulled aside, and the three other woman just stared in awe.

"It's perfect!" Lynn cried out.

Penelope exclaimed. "Oh gumdrop, you're gonna knock 'em dead!"

Mac laughed. "I'm not killing anyone." She then turned to her mother. "What do you think, Mom?"

Danika looked at her youngest. She hadn't been there enough for her growing up, and now that they were a family again, she was having to let her baby go. Tears flowed down her cheek. "You look beautiful." She managed to say through the tears.

Mac could feel tears building up. Seeing her mother cry was hard. She turned back for one final glance in the mirror. Her gown was finally complete. She turned to the seamstress and thanked her for her hard work. They left the alterations room and headed back to the main salon. Mac approached the saleswoman.

"Could you help us?"

The woman nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"My mother needs a dress for my wedding." Mac said.

"Sweetheart, I don't need a new dress." Danika argued. "I can wear one I have."

"Mom, please?" Mac's eyes pleaded. "I want to do this."

Lynn whispered in her mother's ear. "Let her. She won't be happy unless you do."

Danika nodded reluctantly, "Okay. Just because you asked." She kissed Mac on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

With that, the group of women went to find the perfect dress for the mother of the bride.

_**Dave and Lynn… later that night…**_

Lynn sat in the study. She was contemplating everything that had gone on in the last while. She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't hear Dave approach her.

He put his hands on her shoulders and she jumped.

"Sorry, bella I didn't mean to scare you." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay. I was just thinking." She replied honestly.

"I could tell." He knelt next to her. "What were you thinking about?"

"Just all the stuff that's happened." She whispered. She didn't want him to know how she truly felt.

"Cara mia, I know you, and I can tell something's wrong."

She sighed. "I should know better than to try and hide stuff from you."

"Darn right." He chuckled. "I'm a profiler, it's what I do."

Lynn laughed a little.

"What's wrong? You can tell me the truth."

Her head dropped a little. "I feel terrible."

"Are you coming down with the flu?" He asked as he checked the temperature of her forehead.

"No, I feel terrible for feeling this way?"

He sat on the floor and pulled her to him. "Bella, you're not making any sense."

"It's…" She groaned. "Am I a horrible person, to be jealous of my sister and that she's able to keep her child, while I lost mine?"

Dave finally understood. "Aislynn, I don't think it's jealousy you're feeling. I think it's envy."

"Aren't they the same thing." She said, choking back a sob.

"In a way. Love, look at me." He lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "You're upset. It's to be understood. I know how you feel. It hurts to lose a child. I'm right here with you. I wanted our baby badly, and we lost him or her. But you know that there's always a reason for what happens."

She nodded, tears were falling and he didn't care that they were soaking through his shirt.

"We'll never understand this. It's part of life, but no matter what, I love you. I always will." He said as he kissed her lips softly. "I never want to be apart. I keep loving you. No matter what happens between now and forever, I'll always be there, and I'll support you."

She buried her head in his shoulder. "I feel so horrible. She's happy, I want her to be happy, but I wanted what she has so bad."

"I know love, and when the time is right, and we're able to, we'll try again. And again. And again. Until we get our baby. I promise you, we will have our family. We just need the time."

She sniffled. "You know you're quite the romantic."

He kissed her and wiped away the tears. "So I've been told." He rocked her gently in his arms until her weeping stopped. "I love you, cara mia, more than life itself. You're the reason I want to get out of bed in the morning and you're the reason I sleep well at night."

She laughed softly. "Don't turn to goo on me, love. I like you just the way you are."

He smiled. "That's my girl." He kissed her. "I need to tell you something, something I haven't told anyone else."

She looked at him curiously. "Is it bad?"

"I don't know. It depends on how you take it."

She nodded. "Okay. I'm listening."

"My first wife, Carolyn, and I actually did try to have a family, despite our hectic lives."

"I thought she wanted you to pursue your career?"

"She did." Dave sighed. "But that only came after our tragedy in 1979."

"What happened?"

"We had gotten pregnant, with some difficulty. And she went into labor, but our son, James, was stillborn."

"Oh Dave!" She threw her arms around him. "I'm so sorry."

"After that, neither of us wanted to try again. We tried making our marriage work, but it just wasn't the same. We parted on mutual terms, acknowledging that we'd remain friends and that our marriage just wasn't meant to be." He felt a tear slide down his cheek. He hadn't told anyone this, ever. Not even Aaron knew the truth.

"How could you keep that buried for so long?" She asked. She was worried about how this would all affect him.

"Because it was easier than reliving it each day. Now, I have you, and it was not your fault that our child was taken from us. I won't leave you, just as I know you won't leave me. We WILL have our family, just when the time is right." He kissed her again. He didn't want to let her go.

She clung to him, for fear of losing him, so she held on tightly. They sat there in front of the roaring fire. Lynn dozed off after a while, so Dave carried her up to the bedroom, and lay her in bed. He looked at her soft figure and wished that soon, they would be able to try again, and they'd both stop hurting.

_**Aaron and Mac…**_

"How'd today go?" Aaron asked as they were getting ready for bed.

"Mom cried, Lynn cried, I cried." She stated. "I never thought this would be all so emotional." She walked over to him and leaned her head on his chest.

He kissed the top of her head. "I think the emotions are running even higher because of the pregnancy."

"I know. It's hard. I want to tell everyone, but can't until the wedding."

He wrapped his arms around her. "That's next weekend, my dear. I can't wait."

"Me either!" She exclaimed. "Oh!"

"Baby again?"

She nodded and took his hand. It still amazed him every time he felt his child kick. "He's strong." Mac smiled. "I see soccer in his future."

"What if it's a girl?" Aaron laughed.

"We could always find out." Mac pointed out.

"I think we should be surprised." Aaron gently started guiding her to the bed.

"I guess."

Aaron stopped and looked deep into her eyes. "Is there a reason you'd want to know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"To paint the baby's room." She commented.

He smiled. "Mac, we can paint it yellow, and add pink or blue after the baby's born."

She thought about. "Why is it you're always so logical?"

"Because, sweetheart, that's just who I am."

The couple laughed as the tumbled onto the bed.

_**A little while later…**_

They snuggled as they often did after making love. Mac asked Aaron. "Do you think Lynn and Dave are mad at us?"

"Why would they be mad?" He asked as he kissed her shoulder.

"Because we're still having our baby, and they lost theirs because Lynn protected me."

Aaron flipped Mac over so she could face him. "No, they're not mad. They may envy us, but they would never hate us or be mad. It's not who they are. Just like I know if we were in their shoes, it would be the same way. They'll have a child of their own, Dave will guarantee it."

"But I feel bad."

"You and Lynn are more alike than you guys originally thought." Aaron laughed. "She feels bad, you feel bad. It's a vicious circle. She's happy for you. I can see it. She hurts, yes, but that's to be expected. She needs time to heal, and believe it or not, you need it too. You've been through a lot in such a short period of time."

Mac nodded, her eyes drooping a bit. "I'm sleepy."

He kissed her. "Then go to sleep. I love you."

"I love you too."

_**A/N: So a little pre-wedding action before the main event. I'm so thankful for having such faithful readers as you. Please review the chapter and let me know what you think.**_

_**Song inspiration: "I Keep On Lovin' You" by Reba**_

_**Love always**_

_**Nicole**_


	16. I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You

_**A/N: Welcome back to another amazing chapter! Yes, I know the whole world is waiting for the wedding. So I present it… **_

_**Please keep reading and reviewing! It makes me feel as if this whole creative process isn't for nothing. I also hope that you'll enjoy it!**_

_**Thank you to those who have reviewed and given me ideas, and questions! Means the world to me!**_

_**Love always,**_

_**Nicole.**_

**The day of the wedding…**

The girls had spent the weekend in Little Creek, while the men spent the weekend at Aaron and Mac's. It was for protection and for those old fashioned values that both couples had.

Aaron and Dave got dressed, and waited for Aaron's brother, Sean, to arrive. Aaron was nervous. He'd always wondered why people got nervous for their big day, and now he totally understood.

"Dave, were you nervous at each wedding?" He turned to his best friend.

Dave laughed. "For some dumb reason, yes. I don't know why though."

"Well, you may get to do it the fourth time around and tell me then?" Aaron asked.

"By then, you and Mac will be in wedded bliss." Dave finished putting on his final cufflink.

Aaron finished adjusting his tie. "Does that mean you plan on asking my sister-in-law to marry you."

Dave stopped in his tracks. He'd thought about. Long before they even knew about the baby. Now the baby was with God, and they were trying to pick up the pieces. He wanted to marry her, but he didn't know how or when to ask. "Maybe."

"Hell, I may not be a profiler, but I can tell he's lying." Sean's voice came from the doorway.

"Hey Sean!" Aaron embraced his brother. "I'm glad you're here. Maybe you can help me get an answer."

"I doubt it." Sean shook his head. "The old man's is tighter than Fort Knox on secrets."

"Your brother has a point." Dave pointed out as he handed Sean his suit.

Aaron shook his head. "Are you planning on proposing Dave?"

"I don't know." Dave sat in the chair by the window. He stared outside. "I want to spend the rest of my life with her but I don't know if she wants to marry me."

Aaron mimicked hitting his head on the doorjamb. "For a profiler, you're really fucking stubborn."

"I think that comes with age." Sean said before ducking the bookend that Dave tossed at his head.

"I recommend you stop trashing the house." Eric came from upstairs. "I don't think my daughter's going to appreciate cleaning this mess when she gets back from the honeymoon."

Everyone broke out in laughter. The tension was gone. Eric left ahead to go pick up the bride, while Dave, Aaron and Sean headed out to the Church in Dave's SUV.

**Meanwhile…**

Mac had awoken decently early. She showered and then waited for the others to join her so they could go get their hair done. Penelope had demanded to do the make-up.

"Why?" Mac had asked.

"Because I'll do it for free." Penelope pointed out.

No one could really argue with her. So they got their hair done, and Pen did the make up. Danika was ready first, followed by Pen and Lynn. They wanted to ensure Mac's make-up and dress would be perfect, so they waited until the very last possible minute to do her. Once she was ready, the doorbell rang.

Eric stood at the entryway. "Limo's here." He shouted up the stairs.

"Be right down." Was the reply.

Danika, Lynn and Penelope left the house and headed to the Church in Danika's SUV. The only people going in the limo before the ceremony were the bride and her father. She slowly made her way down the stairs.

"You look amazing." Eric said as he kissed her cheek. "I can't believe you're already getting married."

"Daddy." She said, trying to stop the tears that threatened to ruin her gown and make-up.

He put her arm through his and they got in the limo. Once everyone was comfortable, the limo took off, bringing Mac to the future she'd finally made for herself.

_**At the church…**_

Everyone was ready. The limo had arrived and they all anxiously awaited that key moment when the doors would open and she'd take her first step towards being Mrs. Hotchner.

Lynn and Penelope waited until Danika was at her seat, guided by none other than Derek Morgan. Pen slowly started her way up the aisle to where the men stood waiting. Halfway up the aisle, Lynn began her slow walk. Then, once everyone was in place, the traditional "Wedding March" began on the antique pipe organ. The doors swung open and Mac, on the arm of her father began her entrance. Everyone was in awe of the simple but elegant gown she'd chosen. The gown was satin with a lace over dress. The lace opened at the waist to reveal the beadwork on the skirt of the satin. There were beads, sequins and pearls that accentuated her natural beauty. Under the bosom of the gown was a simple, rich colored purple sash with a brooch in the center, which wrapped around her back and tied in a bow with long ties. It was just the right amount of color Mac wanted in her not so traditional gown. There were also tiny lace straps that accentuated the plunging 'V' in the back of the gown. The lace and beaded train flowed like water behind her. The slow walk was accompanied by flashes from cameras in every direction. She thought the walk wasn't going fast enough, but to Eric, it seemed like they were sprinting to the altar.

Aaron took in the vision that was his bride. She was radiant. If no one else noticed, he certainly did. She was just barely showing her pregnancy. They would tell everyone at the banquet tonight, since they had officially past the 12-week danger time. He stepped down to meet her and take her hand. Eric gently took his daughter's hand and placed it in her future husband's. "Take care of her." Was Eric's request.

Aaron nodded. "Always." He faced Mac. "You look so beautiful."

Mac's cheeks burned. "Thank you." She managed to say.

They made their way, arm in arm, to the altar where the priest waited on them.

The priest asked. "Who gives this woman in holy matrimony?"

Eric answered. "I do." With that he took his seat next to his wife.

The ceremony began. There were readings and the priest spoke of eternal love and that marriage wasn't a fairytale. Soon it was time for the vows.

Mac tried her hardest not to weep, but it was inevitable as she heard Aaron proclaim his everlasting love for her.

"You may now kiss the bride." The priest smiled.

Aaron pulled her close and kissed her deeply in a way the only old Hollywood was capable. He dipped her deep and continued the kiss. Laughter, cheers and applause filled the church. Soon they were on they're way back down the aisle, this time as man and wife.

_**The reception…**_

After what seemed like eternity for taking pictures, the bridal party and newlyweds finally arrived at the hotel for the meal. The men were ecstatic and Mac had to agree with them. Then again, she figured baby was probably hungrier than she was. They entered the hall and quickly sat. Once Erik had said Grace, the tables were filled with food. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Aaron would constantly check on Mac and if her food was alright, and Mac would just nod and laugh.

"Everything's perfect Aaron." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I get to spend my life with you."

Suddenly the room was filled with the clinking of glasses and following tradition, the couple stood and kissed. The passionate kiss was met with applause and cheers. They knew that their family and friends were supporting them and that they were happy for the couple. This made their special day, that much more special. Once bellies were filled, and the food cleared away, the speeches began.

Penelope was the first to speak, on behalf of the happy couple. "I just want to congratulate both of you on finding each other and falling head over heels for each other. I could never have asked for a better man than you for my little cousin, nor a better woman for my friend and boss. To the happy couple!" Glasses clinked as the small crowd toasted to their health and happiness.

Dave and Lynn went up together, and spoke each at their turn.

"Aaron and I have been the best of friends for a long time, and he's been there for me through everything, and now, not only has he found happiness, he's also helped me find true happiness. Thank you both for making me one of the happiest men alive. I wish both of you all the best in this new adventure you've chosen to take together." He raised his glass. "To Mac and Aaron, may many years of joy, love and faith be given to you. May you have a wonderful family, and know that we'll always be there for you. Salut!"

More clinking and cheers followed. Mac could feel a single tear roll down her cheek. Aaron just put his arm around her waist and held her close. He too was fighting the emotions that seemed to overwhelm him. In his entire adult life, he'd never felt more cared for or loved than he did at that very moment.

Lynn took the microphone from Dave. "I guess it's my turn. As many of you know, Mac and I just learned that not only are we best friends but we're also sisters. Our parents separated us for protection, but found a way to keep us together, and we can't thank them enough for that. I'm proud to have her as my sister, and I couldn't have asked for a better husband for her than Aaron. I'm thankful you've been there for us from the beginning since our big move. Like Dave, I also want to thank the both of you for playing cupid for Dave and I. Your love and kindness are beacons that shine hope in a world full of despair." She raised her glass. "To Mac and Aaron, may your lives be happy and full, and your home filled with the sound of children laughing and memories being made. I love you both. Congratulations."

This time, Mac left her husband's side and hugged her sister tightly. "Thank you." She managed to say.

The sisters hugged for a long moment as people stood, applauded and cheered. When they broke apart Lynn and Dave hugged the happy couple one last time and soon everyone was seated again.

Aaron's parents came up, and welcomed Mac to the family, though it didn't seem overly heart-felt, but that was fine with Mac. She knew the truth about his childhood, and she really didn't mind that they weren't overly warm towards her. Sean on the other hand, welcomed her warmly and presented them with a gift. His gift was a fully furnished baby suite for whenever they decided to start their family. Mac and Aaron thanked him, but didn't reveal their surprise just yet.

Eric and Danika stood and went to the microphone. Eric spoke first. "When Aaron asked my permission to ask Mac to marry him, I couldn't have been happier. I want to welcome you with open arms to our family. In a way, it's because of you that our family has been completely reunited."

"Aaron," Danika took over. "We are so thankful that Mackenzie has found you. Take good care of her, and give us lots of grandbabies. Congratulations."

Applause filled the hall again. The couple got up to hug their parents. It was now their turn to announce their wonderful news.

Aaron allowed Mac to stand in front of him and speak first. She spoke softly. "We'd like to thank each and everyone of you for being here today and celebrating with us. It means the world to us. "

Aaron took the mic. "Dave, Sean, thank you for being the best groomsmen around and for watching over everything when I couldn't be there." He handed each man a tiny gift box.

He then handed the mic back to Mac. She took it and kindly asked each of her bridesmaids to come up. "I want to thank you for all your advice, pointers and tips. Thank you for dealing with any 'bridezilla' moment I may have had. For that, I wish to give each of you this gift of my appreciation." She handed them each a beach bag with 'bridesmaid' embroidered on the side. Each bag was filled with goodies for each of them. The girls hugged and returned to their seats.

Aaron smiled. "Sean, we would like to take you up on your gift to us."

Murmurs began to sweep through the room.

"Mom, Dad," Mac smiled, even though they already knew. "You get your wish a lot sooner than you may have originally planned."

Everyone stared at them.

"We're pregnant." The newlyweds said in unisons.

A quick moment of silence was needed to process what had been said. Once they understood, the guest stood up, cheered, clinked glasses and applauded. Mac and Aaron kissed.

"How far?" Derek shouted from the table for the BAU.

"We're about 3 months." Mac was glowing.

Everyone came to flood them with more congratulations and cheers. Then it was time for their first dance as man and wife. They took to the floor. Soon "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You" by Marc Anthony filled the hall and they began their slow dance around the floor. They were lost in the moment within each other's eyes. The whole world could see how much they loved each other, and how nothing would ever come between them.

"_**Moon so bright, night so fine**_

_**Keep your heart here with mine**_

_**Life's a dream we are dreaming**_

_**Race the moon, catch the wind**_

_**Ride the night to the end**_

_**Seize the day, stand up for the light**_

_**I want to spend my lifetime loving you**_

_**If that is all in life I ever do**_

_**Heroes rise, heroes fall**_

_**Rise again, win it all**_

_**In your heart, can't you feel the glory?**_

_**Through our joy, through our pain**_

_**We can move worlds again**_

_**Take my hand, dance with me**_

_**I want to spend my lifetime loving you**_

_**If that is all in life I ever do**_

_**I will want nothing else to see me through**_

_**If I could spend my lifetime loving you**_

_**Though we know we will never come again**_

_**When there is love, life begins**_

_**Over and over again**_

_**Save the night, save the day**_

_**Save your love, come what may**_

_**Love is worth everything we pay**_

_**I want to spend my lifetime loving you**_

_**If that is all in life I ever do**_

_**I want to spend my lifetime loving you**_

_**If that is all in life I ever do**_

_**I will want nothing else to see me through**_

_**If I can spend my life time loving you"**_

The dance was ending when someone burst through the doors and shouted that a bomb had just exploded in Boston, taking out 6 FBI agents. Aaron stopped in his tracks. Mac looked up into his eyes. "Aaron?"

He shook his head. "It's Gideon, he was in Boston."

Derek, Penelope, Dave and the other BAU members present ran to Aaron and Mac. She felt lost in this world, even though she was part of it now. They all were asking questions when the man with the news came to them.

Aaron looked to him, praying one of his other friends was still in one piece, "Gideon?"

_**A/N: So that's how I will introduce the start of the series on TV. We all know Morgan was supposed to be in Boston, but we never know why he wasn't this is my reasoning.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think!**_

_**Love always!**_


	17. Why Can't I Forget?

_**A/N: Welcome to my latest chapter of Love Remembers. We left off with the explosion in Boston and Gideon's fate unknown, all happening during Aaron and Mac's wedding. Now to continue. This should be the last chapter leading up to the joining of the series with the story plot.**_

_**Still dedicated to MissAmieB.**_

_**Thanks so much to each and every one of you for your support and reviews.**_

_**Much love!**_

_**Nicole**_

The reception was cut short with the news of the explosion in Boston. Aaron hadn't wanted to ruin the night for Mac.

"Aaron, he's your friend. I think we should go." She held him tightly.

"Mac, I don't want to ruin this special night for you." He kissed her.

"If it were my family, I know you'd do it for me." She looked into his eyes. "Let's just go, all of us."

He nodded and signaled for Dave to go get his car.

Lynn slowly approached. "What's going on?"

Mac looked to her. "We're going to Boston. I really think Dave and Aaron need to be there for their friend, and I think we need to be there to support them."

Lynn agreed. "I guess we'll be going. Should we change?"

"I think going to a hospital in a bridal gown and bridesmaid dress is a little over dressy." Aaron approached. As worried as he was, he was trying to smile and crack jokes.

"Aaron." Mac giggled. "We'll change before we leave. My bag is in the car anyhow."

As if it was scripted, Dave appeared with Mac's carry-on luggage and a change of clothes for Lynn. "I think you'll be needing this."

The girls quickly went to change. Mac exited the bathroom in a little white dress with lace, while Lynn wore a chic black and pink dress. They quickly left the gowns with their parents and followed the men to Dave's vehicle. They drove as quickly as possible to airstrip where a BAU jet would be waiting to fly them to Boston.

Upon their arrival, Reid, the BAU's super child met them with a fellow Boston agent. They quickly headed to the hospital. Upon arrival, they learned that 6 Agents had died in the explosion. Gideon was alive, and was being kept in the hospital under observation. The doctors felt that he may suffer the effects of the explosion and loss of his men in the form of PTSD. Aaron didn't ask too many questions, he just wanted to know that his friend and mentor was alright. Dave on the other hand, he wanted more answers.

They were only allowed to go in the room, two at a time. Aaron and Mac went in first. Gideon was awake and agitated. Upon his seeing Aaron, he seemed to calm down.

"Aaron, you shouldn't be here." He said quietly. "You should be enjoying your wedding night."

Before Aaron could speak, Mac spoke up. "Jason, you're a good friend. We can celebrate our marriage any time."

"You married a good girl." Jason smiled. "She's good for you."

"I am very lucky." Aaron took his friend's hand. "I'm also so thankful that you're still alive."

"Not for the lack of Adrian Bale trying to kill me and everyone else in a 5 mile radius." Jason's tone changed. "I should've checked him over better. Before sending those guys in."

"Jason, you did all you could." Aaron said. "The man was a psychopath."

"Jason." Mac stepped over to the other side of his bed. "You got him. He'll pay for his crimes."

Jason nodded. "I guess you're right." He looked at Aaron's hand on his shoulder, the glint of the wedding band caught his eye. "At least, you managed to tie the knot."

The trio laughed. "Yeah." Aaron smiled at his wife.

"We'll show you pictures when they come back." Mac smiled. She looked at Aaron. "You should tell him."

"Tell him what?" Gideon asked, curiously looking between the couple.

Aaron laughed. "The good news."

"Which is?" The curiosity was truly getting to him.

"Mac and I are expecting." Aaron beamed. He had managed to keep the big secret, a secret from his team for the past month.

Jason went from shock to a big smile. "That's great news!" He shook Aaron's hand and Mac hugged him. "Congratulations. When are you due?"

"In about 6 months, give or take." Mac smiled. "Or at least that's what the doctors are telling me."

"You'll be amazing parents." Jason smiled. "Now I think that you two should go enjoy your honeymoon, and I'll get some rest."

"I don't know how much rest you'll get, Dave's still waiting to see you." Aaron shook his mentor's hand before taking Mac's to leave.

"Tell that old coot to go home and rest." Jason tried to laugh, but he knew the reason as to why Dave hadn't come in with Aaron, other than hospital rules. Dave was going to want to know all the details, but didn't want to make Aaron worry.

"We'll try." Mac said, slightly pulling Aaron out of the room. "Get well soon."

With that, the newlyweds disappeared but Dave and his girlfriend appeared.

"Hey, old timer." Dave laughed lightly.

"We're almost the same age." Jason tried to say seriously. "I'm taking you want to know the whole story."

Dave nodded. "Damn straight I do. You almost got killed."

Jason looked between Lynn and Dave. "Can you guarantee she won't talk."

Lynn had had enough of people talking about her with her in the room. She had gotten it enough growing up. "I don't plan on telling my brother-in-law the truth, if that's what you're worried about." She put her hands on her hips.

Jason's eyes bulged a little. "She's got attitude."

"Damn straight." Dave laughed. "I don't argue with her anymore."

Lynn smiled. "That's because you're a smart man."

Jason put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I get it." He stopped. "Wait brother-in-law?"

"Long story made short, Lynn and Mac were separated because their father's ex-CIA and the job got too hot. They only just found out." Dave summed up the past few weeks in a couple sentences.

Jason just mouthed 'O'.

"So what happened?" Dave asked, taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

Lynn sat in the chair in the corner, and listened intently.

"We had him." Jason stated. "I let him get the best of me by thinking he was going to surrender. He had a remote detonator on him. After half the team was in the building, he flipped the switch."

"Jason."

Gideon held his hand up to stop Dave's comment. "I managed to get to one. I did CPR, but he was gone."

Dave understood the man's pain. He'd felt the same pain at Ruby Ridge. Maybe he hadn't killed his own agents, but he'd lost innocent lives nonetheless.

"I can't believe I didn't see through his lies." Jason hung his head.

Dave put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jason, you got him. He'll be behind bars for life. You can't blame yourself for his psychosis."

"But the families…"

Lynn spoke up. "They won't blame you either. You were doing your job, just like their loved ones were doing. They died in the line of duty, protecting this country."

Jason looked at the younger woman. He would've never imagined that Dave's choice of partner would understand the job this well. He said nothing.

"Lynn is right." Dave squeezed his friend's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. It'll hurt, that's a given. Just take the time off, recover and then when you're up to it, go back to the BAU."

Just then a nurse poked her head in the door. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over, and Agent Gideon needs his rest." She stood in the doorway, unmoving..

Lynn got up and slipped out of the room. She'd wait for Dave out in the hall. Dave shook Jason's hand, and whispered something in his ear before leaving the room. The nurse gave a shot to calm Gideon, and she turned out the lights as she left the room.

_**The honeymoon…**_

Dave's surprise honeymoon was a 2-week all-inclusive stay at a 5 star resort in the Dominican. They had a private villa, with everything supplied. The couple spent most of the time on the beach, or in the villa. Despite Mac's condition, they enjoyed the freedom of sex. They knew that with time, it would diminish, especially after the baby came. They took in as much sun and peace as they could. Once in a while, Mac would check her e-mail and send updates to Lynn about the trip.

While on their honeymoon, Aaron's mind rested solely on his wife and their unborn child. He didn't check his messages or anything. Any updates from home came from Mac through her sister or mother. He knew the only reason that she talked to them while on vacation was because they demanded constant updates on the baby.

They would walk on the beach each morning, and then again as the sun set on the horizon. Occasionally, he'd build a drift wood fire, and they'd fall asleep on the sand under the stars. Neither had to worry about work, or family disputes or anything of the sort. All they had to worry about was their life, their love and their future.

When the two weeks were up, they sadly left, only to be told that they could return whenever they wished, that the Rossi villa was available for family at any given moment. The couple smiled at the realization that to Dave, they were family. One day, they would come here, the whole family, until that day, the villa would lie in wait.

_**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I needed something short to fill. Now, we can follow the episodes starting with Extreme Aggressor. Please read and review!**_

_**Love always.**_

_**Nicole**_

_**Song inspiration: "Why Can't I Forget?" by Jason Blaine.**_


	18. My Name

_**A/N: Welcome back to a new chapter of Love Remembers. I'm so thankful for all the reviews I've been getting. They're amazing and help push me to keep working on them. This chapter starts before "Extreme Aggressor" and will end after it. We don't see the cases per se but we do get inkling thanks to Hotch and eventually from Dave. **_

_**These chapters will be mostly Hotch and Mac oriented since Dave didn't make his appearance until Season 3.**_

_**Please read, enjoy and review!**_

_**Love always,**_

_**Nicole**_

* * *

Aaron had taken a weekend off to help get the baby suite ready. Mac was due in a couple months and they wanted everything to be perfect. She was now sitting on the bed while he struggled with the crib. They had set about discussing baby names.

She was going off her gut instinct that it was a little boy, since they had asked not to know the sex of the baby. Aaron, on the other hand, was determined it was a little girl that would look exactly like her mother.

"I've got it." Mac beamed. "Gideon."

Aaron laughed and shook his head.

"Why not. Look what it means." She turned the book to show him. "Great warrior."

He took the book and read the definition. He smiled. "It suits him but no. Sergio?"

"You've got to be kidding me." She looked at him deadpan.

He laughed. "You're set on a boy, and I still say it's going to be a little girl like her mother."

"I think it's a boy."

"Choosing a name is going to be hard." He sighed. "Especially for a boy."

"Why's that?" Mac closed the baby name book, tossing it to the bed.

Aaron pulled her into his arms, gently rubbing her very prominent belly. "Because every name you give me, or that I like for a boy, ends up reminding me of a serial killer or someone the BAU hunted."

She looked up at her husband. "We still have time. Baby Hotchner is not making an appearance for another couple months. Right baby?" She patted her belly and talked to their baby. The baby made a soft kick into one of her kidneys. "I think he just said yes." She laughed.

Aaron held his hand over hers and felt their child kick again, almost as if it knew that it's parents loved it and were there no matter what. "No matter what, I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed by that."

"Me either." She smiled. "I love him so much already."

"Or her." Aaron laughed. Just then his phone started vibrating and he could hear his fax going off. "Damn it." He muttered. He kissed his wife and quickly went to get the file. Whatever this was about had to be bad for him to be interrupted on his time off.

Mac admired the crib that her husband was almost done building. It was perfect for their child. As much as she enjoyed being pregnant, she wanted to hold him or her in her arms.

Aaron popped his head in. "I'm gonna call Dave and Lynn and see if they can't let you stay with them for a bit."

"A bad case?" Mac said as she turned from the crib to face him.

He nodded somberly. "Yeah, in Seattle. Don't know how long I'll be gone, and to boot, Gideon's needing to be reevaluated and they want me to do it."

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "It'll be okay. Just go, I'll call Dave and Lynn."

"Uh uh." He kissed her. "I'll call. I know you Mac, you'll say you called but won't."

"I don't need babying." She pouted.

He kissed her lips again. "The doctor disagrees. If she disagrees, your husband is going to enforce it. I'll call Dave and either I drop you off or they come get you, but I'm not leaving you. Just to be safe, love."

She sighed and agreed with him. "I'll go pack a bag." She waddled off to get an overnight bag.

He smiled. Despite everything, their marriage was strong and happy. The cases sometimes dragged out longer than either of them wanted, but that couldn't be helped. He gathered his "go bag" and put on one of his traditional BAU suits. He then went to help Mac finish packing. Once she was ready, they headed out to Little Creek to let his brother and sister-in-law take care of his very pregnant wife. No matter what, he couldn't get over that she was his wife. They'd been married almost 6 months now. 6 months since they'd pledged their love in front of family and friends. 6 months since he'd almost lost his mentor. Hopefully those 6 months hadn't destroyed Gideon.

The drive hadn't taken long. Dave and Lynn were waiting on the front steps when they arrived. Dave ran to the car to grab Mac's bag. He cocked his head to the side. "Only one bag?" He joked.

"She'll make you take her shopping then do her laundry if you're not careful." Aaron laughed, earning him a glare from Mac. "Sweetheart, you know it's true."

She just shook her head and waited for him to help her out of the SUV. He kissed her good-bye, and once she was in the house he took off to meet Morgan to go pick up Reid and Gideon.

While Aaron was in Seattle, Lynn and Mac spent time talking about the baby, and planning a baby shower once the little one made their big appearance.

"Is he going to be with you in the delivery room?" Lynn asked, putting the final touches on the blanket she'd made for her niece or nephew.

Mac nodded. "He better be. It'll be me, him, the doctors and nurses."

"That's it?" She put the blanket aside and went to help her sister who was flipping through a baby-clothing catalogue.

"I'm not about to be put on "The Baby Story." I just want it to be family." She smiled. She didn't want to hurt Lynn's feelings, but being in pain pushing the baby out into the world was not where she wanted her sister or parents. It was Aaron and her.

"I get it." Lynn patted her hand. "When Dave and I have ours, it'll probably be the same way. Though Mom and Dad are going to be pacing the halls until they hear that baby cry."

"Great, we'll get charged for having to re-wax the floors once they're done."

The two girls laughed.

Dave poked his head into the family room. "What's so funny in here?" He was thankful to have Mac around to keep Lynn distracted. He needed to finish his surprise for her. Plus having Mac here meant Lynn would worry less about her little sister.

"Just talking about babies." Mac smiled. Whether Lynn and Dave were married or not, he was like a brother to him.

"I see." He smiled. "Well ladies, and baby, dinner is ready."

He had taken it upon himself to take care of kitchen duty to keep Lynn free to help Mac with anything she needed.

"What's for supper?" Lynn asked, perching on the edge of her seat.

"Bucatini alla Carbonara." He smiled. It was one of the girls' favorite dishes.

Both girls squealed. They got up and half skipped to the dinning room.

* * *

_**Seattle…**_

* * *

They'd caught him and managed to save the last victims life. She was traumatized, there was no two ways about it, but at the same time, she was lucky to be alive. Aaron looked around the scene. Gideon had taken one to the arm. He still had a report to finish. Reid and Morgan came up to him and asked what he thought.

"He saved her life. That's good enough for me." He said before walking off to check on the rest of his team.

On the plane ride home, Aaron looked around. Everyone was doing their own little thing. He looked to Gideon. He was alone so Aaron went to join him.

"How's the report coming?" Gideon asked.

Aaron just looked at him.

"You didn't think you could hide that from an old profiler, did you?" Gideon laughed.

"I think you're ready and fit for duty." Aaron smiled.

"Have you and Mac picked a name for the baby yet?" Gideon asked. He knew more about Aaron than Aaron knew about himself sometimes.

"We're talking about them." Aaron sighed. "She thinks it's a boy. She liked Charles, and all I could think of was…"

"Manson." Gideon finished the thought.

Aaron went through the list Mac had come up with up to date, and each time Gideon could list the killer he was thinking of.

Finally Gideon spoke. "It doesn't matter how many you put away, you know there'll always be more."

"I know."

"Then you know that no matter what, there's a chance your son or daughter could share a name with someone that we put away or will put away. You just need to choose a name that means something to you and Mac and forget the outside world." Gideon smiled. "No matter what, you're child will be loved and in the end, that's what will make the biggest difference in the child's life and future."

"Thanks Jason." Aaron said. "I just hope that she hasn't tormented Dave too badly."

"Rossi?" Jason laughed. "He can handle anything. He's only been through the marriage thing three times, and the fact that he's basically married to your sister-in-law means he'll be fine."

* * *

_**Little Creek…**_

* * *

Dave was wiped. Aaron had called and said they were on their way back. The perp was caught and the victim was still alive. For the BAU, that was a good day. He on the other hand had had to deal with a hormonal Mac, and a girlfriend who sided with her sister on everything.

"I can't win." He sighed as he put the dishes away.

Suddenly Lynn's warm arms were around him. "You're right about that." She snickered.

Dave turned and kissed her. She twitched her nose. "I think you're all soapy." She laughed.

"Entirely possible, bella." He purposely put a pile of soap bubbles on her nose. "Where's Mac?"

"Lying down and reading to the baby." She said. She still wished she'd have their child. They would be able to try again soon.

"Interesting. What book?" He drained the sink and wiped his hands on the closest dishtowel.

"Robin Hood."

Dave laughed. "Steal from the rich to give to the poor."

"The one and only." Lynn laughed. "It was one of her favorite stories growing up, so I guess she wants to share it with her child."

Dave could hear the longing in her voice each time she said child or baby. He pulled her in for a passionate kiss. "Soon, my love, soon." He smiled. "The doctor said once your muscles are back to 100%."

She nodded. "I know. I just want us to have a family."

"We will, and everything will be perfect." He kissed her nose. "Oh, and I have good news, Aaron's on his way home."

"Already?"

He nodded. "They caught him and saved his last victim."

"Mac will be thrilled."

"I bet." He guided her out of the kitchen and shut the lights. "She worries doesn't she?"

Lynn nodded. "Thought we're not supposed to notice that."

"How can we not?" He sighed. "The man runs a prestige unit of profilers that go across the country, sometimes even into other countries if the need may be. She'll always worry. She'll get used to it, or the marriage will fall apart. But knowing Aaron, he'll do everything to keep that from happening. He loves her too much."

"Even if she pulls crazy stunts?" Lynn asked.

"Even then. He loves her unconditionally." Dave held her tightly. "The same as I love you. That type of love will never die."

They headed upstairs to go to bed, knowing Aaron would be there early to pick Mac up.

* * *

_**A/N: That concludes the first chapter that follows the episodes. I hope you've enjoyed it so far.**_

_**Please read and review.**_

_**Song inspiration: "My Name" by George Canyon**_

_**Love always **_

_**Nicole**_


	19. Need You Now

_**A/N: Well, last chapter, we left off after the pilot episode of Criminal Minds (Extreme Aggressor). We'll pick up from there and work our way to "Compulsion", which was the second episode of the first season.**_

_**We'll say that Mac is about 7 months or so along, just in case anyone is wondering.**_

_**Unto the next chapter!**_

_**Still dedicated to MissAmieB.**_

_**Hope you're enjoying it!**_

_**Love always**_

_**Nicole**_

* * *

The day after they'd returned from Seattle, Gideon had been taken hostage by the Footpath Killer. He'd escaped by causing him to stutter even more, which ultimately caused Gideon to gain the upper hand. Aaron had gotten the call while in the middle of preparing supper for Mac. She tired a lot easier than she used to, but the doctor said it was a small consequence of the pregnancy. When he saw that Morgan had been the one calling, his heart sank. It was never good to have a co-worker call when you're supposed to have time off. Though the heart sinking stopped as soon as Morgan told him that Gideon was okay, but that he had just happened to stumble onto to the Footpath Killer while getting gas. Aaron thanked him and hung up the phone. He'd get answers from Jason later, but right now, he needed to spend some quality time with his wife.

He went into the family room where Mac was lounging, and channel surfing. "Can't decide what to watch?"

She looked up. "No, baby can't decide."

He set down the tray with supper on the small coffee table. He then sat behind her and pulled her gently into his lap. Her rubbed her belly. "Baby, why are you being so fussy?" He asked. He was responded with a well-placed kick to where his hand lay.

Mac laughed. "I guess he's just being stubborn today."

He kissed her forehead. "He'll take after his mother in that department then."

"Hey!" She exclaimed, playfully smacking his chest. "I'm not that stubborn."

"The doctor tells you to take it easy for the last 2 months of your pregnancy, and you go buy a scooter so you can still work, but from a seated position." He reminded her.

"I can't take mat leave yet." She crossed her arms. A task in itself that was slightly difficult. "It's too soon."

"Mac, the doctor told you that it was for your own good and baby's too. He or she is growing and it's your first, you need to learn with me on how this whole thing works."

She sighed. "I guess your right."

"Does that mean you'll stop going to work?" He kissed her neck.

She nodded. "I guess I will. But only if you help me find a replacement."

"Ask Cole."

"He has to do security for Lynn." Mac pointed out.

"Dave can do that, and Cole learned from the best, I think it's a fair trade."

She sighed. "Can I at least do the touch-ups and effects from home on the digital ones?"

Aaron nodded. "I guess that's a fair compromise."

They snuggled up and ate their meal of grilled cheese and tomato soup.

* * *

_**The next Monday…**_

Aaron returned to work as usual Monday. He'd finally gotten Mac to ease up a bit. Being stressed wasn't good for her or their child. He walked in to see that Gideon was surrounded by trainees and profilers alike. They all wanted to know how he'd survived the Footpath Killer. He went to his office to see what JJ had brought him for a case to review. Sure enough, there was a small pile on his desk. The files contained the cases that his Media Liaison felt were the most important ones. He began to look them over just as JJ popped her head in.

"Hotch, hey, did you get a chance to look them over?"

"I just started." He smiled lightly. "You got one in mind that stands out the most?"

She pointed to the file he had in his hands. "That one comes with a DVD. I think you should watch the version I e-mailed you."

She stood by as he watched it. When the clip was done he looked at her. "Has everyone seen this?"

"They'll be able to in about 1 minute if it's the case you want."

Hotch nodded. "Round 'em up." He grabbed his files, go bag and jacket, and proceeded to the meeting room.

He was soon joined by the rest of the team. Reid, the youngest of the team was next in, followed closely by Morgan and the newest member, Elle Greenaway. She'd played a key role in their last case in Seattle. Gideon, with JJ on his tail entered. The briefing began and within 10 minutes the team knew they were headed out to Tempe, Arizona.

* * *

_**Tempe, AZ…**_

* * *

Upon their arrival at the school, Gideon instructed them. "No badges. I don't want to satisfy the UNSUB's need for attention by letting him know he got the FBI here. Try not to look official." He looked at all of them and shook his head. The rest of the team were in suits and dark sunglasses that screamed G-men. "Try to look less official."

* * *

_**Little Creek…**_

* * *

Dave was watching out for Mac again with Lynn's help. Today, he'd been conned into helping them finish buying baby supplies. He never knew that there were so many different types of basinets, clothes, diapers, bottles and strollers. After an hour in the first store, he needed to sit down. Lynn and Mac didn't even seem to notice. He kept an eye on them as they tried to decide on a unisex theme for the baby's room. He could see Lynn's pain as she helped her sister. He couldn't wait for them to try again. He had wanted children so bad. He'd lost James with his first wife. He'd lost their unborn child due to a psycho. "Third times a charm." He smiled. A baby would complete their little family.

"Dave!" Lynn waved her arms in the air. "We need your opinion!"

He groaned as he got up. "I'm getting old." He complained. He made his way over to Lynn and Mac. Mac was holding up a pale cream, yellow and mint quilt with Care Bears, while Lynn supported the soft yellow and white of Pooh Bear. "Both are cute."

That phrase earned him a glare.

"We can't decided, and you're not helping." Mac whined. She wished Aaron were there. He'd be able to help her. She missed him and it hurt a little to know that he was missing these key points. Hopefully, he'd be able to be there when she gave birth.

He moaned. "Your husband owes me."

"Why?" Lynn questioned.

"Because, either way I'm a dead man. If I don't side with Mac, I die. If I don't side with you, I die."

Both women glared at him.

"Well, don't deny it." He put his hands up to defend himself. "I think they're both adorable, but preferably… I like the more colorful Care Bears." He smiled and explained. "Babies like bright colors and lots of them, the more color the better. And it goes for both boy or girl."

The women stopped and absorbed what he said. He was praying that they wouldn't kill him.

"He does make a good point." Mac smiled.

"Definitely." Lynn giggled.

Dave was suspicious. "What are you two up to?"

"We'd already decided on Care Bears." Mac laughed.

Lynn kissed his cheek before saying. "We just wanted your participation."

"Oh God!" He hung his head. "You two are cruel."

"Dave," Mac started. "One day, you'll be doing this for your own children. Just remember that."

Dave surrendered. "Okay, okay. You're right."

So with Dave finally cooperating, the shopping took a lot less time, and the girls stopped scheming against him. He took them to visit Mama, who surprised them all with her famous chicken parmigana followed by fresh cannoli. Mac was in heaven because she'd been craving the cannoli for weeks, but hadn't been able to find a good one anywhere in D.C. It was such a bad craving that she was tempted to get Lynn to take her to New York City to get some.

While they were at Mama's, Aaron called and wanted to check up on Mac. He missed her, but she was sure that she missed him most.

"How's the case going?" She asked once in private.

He sighed. "We got the profile and the suspect, but now we're trying to find them."

"It's bad isn't it?"

"Yeah. A teacher was killed."

"Oh God! That's horrible!" Mac exclaimed.

Another voice came over the line. "The third floor of the science building is under construction!"

"Baby, I'm sorry. I gotta go." He said. They'd found her.

"I know. I love you. Be safe." She blew him a kiss over the phone and hung up.

She returned to the dining room and they sat and chatted until late into the night.

* * *

_**A couple days later…**_

* * *

Aaron couldn't wait to wrap his arms around his wife and hold her. Sometimes the cases he dealt with were difficult. This time had been one of those. The UNSUB had been mentally ill, figuring if she'd been tested by God, that every time a sequence of three 3s appeared, she needed to put others to the same test. It was scary. He'd never admit it to his team, but he knew that once he held Mac and talked to the baby, he'd be feeling a lot better. The airplane landed and he almost flew out the door to get to his vehicle.

He drove the speed limit, but it was pushing his patience more than ever. He just wanted to get to Little Creek and see Mac. He knew that the time he spent away gave a chance to Mac to be with her sister and get ready for the baby, but he guessed she was tortured as he was when he was away. He finally arrived at Dave's and he left the car running as he bolted up the steps. He rang the bell once and then ran in the door. "Mac!" He shouted.

Mac heard Aaron's voice and she walked as quickly as possible to get to him. "I'm coming."

He followed her voice and when they met, he pulled her to him and kissed. "I missed you so much."

She buried her head in his chest, taken in his scent and enjoying the sensation of his arms around her. "We missed you too."

"Everything good with the baby?"

She nodded. "Growing and happy." She grinned. "Dave on the other hand, maybe not so good."

"What did you do to him?" Aaron asked.

Dave's voice came from the kitchen. "They tortured me." His sentence was followed by a yelp.

Aaron could only guess that Dave had been hit by Lynn for saying what they'd done was torture. "What did you do?" He looked at Mac.

She smiled innocently. "We took him shopping for baby things."

Aaron shook his head and sighed. "I owe him don't I?"

Dave appeared, rubbing his arm. "Damn straight you do." He moved away from the two girls. "First I had to help choose a theme, then I got stuck in the clothing section caught in a debate over a green or a blue onesie, then I had to help choose the best stroller." He threw his hands up. "Next time, I'll go on the case, and you get to do the essential baby shopping with your wife and the mother of your child."

Aaron laughed. "Just wait, your turn will come soon enough."

Dave hung his head. "I can't win, can I?"

The room burst into laughter and all shouted. "No!"

* * *

_**A/N: Well another chapter down, only 100 plus to go… I'll keep going until it's over… any who!**_

_**Please click that little button to tell me what you think!**_

_**Song inspiration: "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum**_

_**Lots of love**_

_**Nicole**_


	20. Safe and Sound

_**A/N: So we left off with Aaron needing to be with Mac, and Dave having been 'tortured' with baby shopping. Now to Season 1, Episode 3. "Won't Get Fooled Again."**_

_**I'm so sorry that this update has taken so long. I actually started writing it right after chapter 19, but because of University… I haven't been able to update as often… or in this case at all. I have not forgotten. This is one of my favorite stories, and I don't think I could just let it end… so here is an update. Thank you all for your patience, it means a lot to me. Thank you again for all your kind reviews and your interest in the story.**_

_**Still don't own anything but some of the plot and a few extra characters.**_

_**Still dedicated to MissAmieB!**_

_**Loving the reviews, keep 'em coming!**_

_**Love always.**_

_**Nicole**_

They were getting ever so close to D-Day. Baby Hotchner was due in about a month or so. As much as Mac loved being pregnant, she couldn't wait for the day when she'd be able to hold her baby for the first time, as well as see her feet again. She'd whine to Aaron how she missed her feet.

"Sweetheart, Baby takes up a lot of room." He'd rub her belly. "Soon, we'll be able to hold her."

"Him." She'd stand her ground on the gender of their child. "And I know. I just feel like a whale sometime."

"Mackenzie…. You're not a whale!" He'd tell her. He'd kiss her and hold her. "You're beautiful."

Today was another one of those days. She'd wanted to dress up nicely for their night out. She refused to let Aaron help her. Finally a cry of frustration came from their bedroom.

Aaron carefully peeked his head in. "Mac?" He asked, looking around their bedroom. He spotted her on the floor in the corner. She was sobbing.

"Mac, sweetie. What's wrong?"

"I don't fit into anything. I look horrible." She wept.

He walked over and picked her up off the ground. He sat her gently on their bed. He lifted her chin up and wiped away the tears. "Mac, no. You're breathtaking."

"Nothing fits."

He shook his head. "I'll take you shopping then. You don't have to be so hard on yourself."

She looked at him. "But I'm not the girl you married."

"Yes you are." He kissed. "You are the woman I married, and now you're carrying my child. I couldn't be happier than right now."

"Really?"

He nodded, then kissed her again. "Yes. Now, let's get you into something comfortable and then we'll go shopping for tonight." He helped her get dressed and the two headed out to the closest outlet mall to get something suitable for their night out.

_**The next day…**_

Hotch arrived at the office a little later than usual, but he had wanted to make sure that Mac was going to be okay without him for a bit. He had had a feeling that he would be heading out of town on a case today. He made sure that he called her on arrival to the office like she always asked him to. Just as he hung up, JJ popped her head into the office. "What's up?" He asked.

"It's bad." Was all she said.

He got up and headed to the boardroom. The team gathered and they started the briefing. While watching the news report coming in from Palm Beach, they watched the next explosion live.

"I guess we're heading to Florida."

The team grabbed their bags, all except Derek. He was staying behind to rebuild the bomb that was being sent from Palm Beach to figure out the bomber's signature.

_**Mac and Aaron's house…**_

Mac had turned on the TV while she set about folding the laundry. She watched in horror as a bomb exploded behind the news crew. She had a gut wrenching feeling that Aaron would be headed there, just from the news reports. That's when the phone rang, causing her to jump.

"Hello?" She answered as she regained her composure.

"Babe, it's me." Aaron's voice came across.

"You have to go to Florida, don't you?" She asked.

He sighed. "You saw the news?"

"Yeah. I was folding the laundry and it happened."

He sighed again. He really had to work on her not watching all the negative things going on in the world. They'd only upset her more, and that wasn't healthy for the baby. "I think you should avoid the news, love."

"You're beating around the bush, Aaron." She pointed out.

"I'm sorry. Yes, I have to go to Florida."

His confirmation made her feel sick. "I'm scared."

"I'll be fine, Mac. I promise." He tried reassuring her, but he knew it was a futile attempt. "Just don't worry, and try to avoid the news. If you need anything call Dave."

"I know the drill. Still doesn't mean I won't worry." She pointed out once again.

He whispered. "I know." He looked up and saw Gideon in the doorway and he knew it was time to go. "I've got to run. I love you Mac. I'll call you when I land."

"Love you too." She blew him a kiss over the line. "Be safe."

"Always." He said as he hung up the phone and headed out with the team.

Mac sighed, leaned back and sighed. She just prayed her husband would come back to her in one piece. She quickly dialed the phone and hoped Lynn would be home and able to talk.

_**Dave and Lynn's…**_

They had had a long night reorganizing the new kitchen that had finally been completed. Well, that had been part of the night. The other part had been spent making passionate love in front of the fireplace. The phone ringing was not a welcome sound.

Dave rolled over and fumbled to answer the cordless that was on the couch. "What?" He growled.

"Is Lynn there?" Mac's timid voice asked.

Dave apologized. "Yeah. Just a sec. Sorry, for uh, growling." He said as he handed the phone to the woman he loved. "It's Mac. She sounds upset."

Lynn bolted up at those words. She only hoped that everything was okay with the baby and Aaron. She grabbed the phone. "Mac? What happened? Are you and the baby okay?"

"We're fine. It's Aaron."

"What did he do?" Lynn tended to jump to conclusions about relationship things, and it was worse since the incident with Dave earlier in the relationship.

Mac sighed. "HE didn't do anything… it's the latest case he's on." She took a shaky breath. "He's gone to Florida."

"Okay…?" Lynn was confused as to what that meant.

"Haven't you been watching the news?" Mac's voice went up a few decibels.

Lynn looked to Dave to turn on the TV. "I hadn't. Dave's just turning on the TV now." She almost fell off the couch as she watch an explosion replay behind the news crew.

Dave flipped through the channels, and that's all that was on there. "Does she want to come over?" He looked towards the phone.

"Do you want us to come pick you up?"

"Yeah, though part of me doesn't want to leave, in case he calls." Mac sighed.

Lynn turned to her lover. "Could we maybe go there?"

Dave had been expecting his mother, but Mac was family too and his mother would understand. "Sure." He got up to go call his mother while Lynn tried to keep her sister calm. "Mama?" He asked as his mother picked up the call.

"Yes Davy? Is everything all right?" She asked.

"Aaron's on a case, and because Mac is so close to having the baby, we're going to go and help her out. I was wondering if we could reschedule our meeting to later?"

"Of course, my son." His mother replied. "If there's anything she needs, please have her call me."

"I will, Mama."

"She's like family to me too. Aaron is a son to me too."

"I know Mama. I'll call you later on." Dave wished his mother well and headed back to the living room.

Lynn had just hung up the phone. "I don't know if this worrying is all that good for her or the baby."

"I doubt it's good." Dave helped her off the sofa. "It's not good for any human being to be worried about a loved one this much." They headed upstairs. "We'll clean up, and head out."

_**Florida…**_

Aaron was really worried about what his work was doing to his marriage, and if he would be a good enough father to his unborn child.

"Hotch." Gideon called to him. "Morgan just called."

Hotch looked up from his papers. "What did he have to say?"

"Bale." Gideon said as he walked out of the room.

Hotch cringed. Adrian Bale was the man that had almost killed Gideon, and had succeeded in killing a number of other FBI agents. He had been put away, so there was no way this killer was Bale but someone who was copying him. He headed out after Gideon. They had their work cut out for them. Now they had to make a list of suspects out for a copycat. They sure had their work cut out for them.

_**Mac and Aaron's home…**_

Mac was still sitting on the couch when Dave and Lynn arrived. She hadn't budged since she'd called them. She was terrified. She didn't want to loose her husband. Not to some mad man. If anything she hoped that they'd live long happy lives together, and be old and grey before they would be separated. She shook her head. "Great. Now I'm trying to make my life sound like the 'Notebook'."

"Do I have to call the looney bin?" Dave chuckled as he stepped into the living room.

Lynn popped up behind him. "Why are we sending my sister to the crazy house?"

Mac looked up, her cheeks were red in colour. She carefully got up off the sofa and went to hug her sister. "Because I started talking to myself."

Lynn held her younger sister tightly. "I don't think that qualifies you as crazy." She playfully hit Dave. "Him on the other hand… I think he speaks more to himself than he does to me sometimes."

"I'm a writer now, what do you expect?" He defended himself. "How are you doing?" He changed the subject to ease Mac's discomfort.

"I'm fine." She lied through her teeth.

Lynn saw right through it. "Tell us the truth hun."

"I know it's his job and I'm accepting of his job, but I'm always worried that something is going to happen." She sighed. "Seeing that bomb go off live sure as hell didn't help."

"He's not going to get blown up." Dave hugged her. "He's smart and he's got a broad knowledge of these types of people."

That did a calm her down a little bit. They sat and enjoyed some calming tea. Dave ensured that neither of the women watched the news. Once the minimal chores were done, Dave convinced them to go stay at Little Creek, all because Mama wanted to spend time with them. That had partially been true, but at least there he could watch over them a little closer and he could better protect them. With Mac being so close to her due date now, he didn't want to chance it being this far away from Mac's doctor, who just happened to be his sister-in-law.

It was about a few days before it was discovered that ultimately is was a forger, forging Adrian Bale's signatures bombs. He had blown himself up, and Dave knew the truth, that Aaron had been right there when it had happened. He hadn't told Mac or Lynn, nor was he about to let anyone else tell them. Mac didn't need the extra stress this far into the pregnancy. Aaron came home and had promised them a couple days off. Dave drove Mac to the airport to meet the BAU's flight, and the left to go spend some quality time with the woman he planned on marrying one day.

"Aaron!" Mac threw herself at the man she'd fallen so deeply, madly in love with.

He kissed her deeply and held her tightly. "Mac, how?"

"Dave dropped me off." She lay her head on his shoulder. "I was so worried." She saw a scratch on his neck and gently fingered it. "What's this?"

"I caught myself on a branch leaving the police station." He hoped he believed her. He didn't want her to know that he and Elle had almost been blown to smithereens.

"Silly goose." She giggled. "You really should watch where you're walking."

He smiled. "I know. How's the baby?"

"Kicking like crazy." She said as she took his hand and gently placed it on her belly.

He smiled as their child kicked and moved. Despite feeling it on a regular basis when he was home, the sensation still amazed him. This was their little miracle. They couldn't wait to be parents, and now he had to really work hard on keeping their marriage together. "It's amazing."

"I know. It seems he gets more excited when you're home."

"What if it's a girl?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I think it's a boy, and he's going to think you're the world's biggest hero." She leaned into him.

"Tired?" He asked, slightly concerned. They were so close to the due date and this made him worry even more.

"A little." She kissed him on the cheek. "Can we go home? I could really use some cuddles." 

"Coming right up my love." He threw his go bag over his shoulder and with one arm around her waist, led her to the waiting SUV so they could go home and enjoy the peace and quiet, while it lasted.

_**Finally! I know, it's been so long since I've updated, but I am finally done university and I'm so happy to have a tad bit of spare time, between packing and planning my teaching lessons for next year to update a couple stories. I hope you're enjoying it so far. I know the timeline might seem a tad off, but for me to follow the story line of the show, I had to backtrack and slow down a touch. Anyhow, I appreciate any reviews and comments. Thanks again for all your patience!**_

_**Nicole**_


	21. Wanted

_**A/N: Last time, we had Mac and Aaron working on keeping their marriage together as well as keeping Mac's stress to a minimum for the baby's sake. Now, unto to Season 1, Episode 4. "Plain Sight"**_

_**Thank you all for your patience, it means a lot to me. Thank you again for all your kind reviews and your interest in the story.**_

_**Still don't own anything but some of the plot and a few extra characters.**_

_**Still dedicated to MissAmieB!**_

_**Loving the reviews, keep 'em coming!**_

_**Love always.**_

_**Nicole**_

Aaron returned from work and couldn't find Mac anywhere in the house. There was a note on the table.

"_Had to go buy groceries. Be home soon. XOXO"_

He shook his head. "She has no patience."

"Who doesn't?"

He spun around to see Mac behind him with Cole in tow. His arms had been overloaded with grocery bags.

Aaron went to hug his wife. "You don't my love."

"I need to bake the cake." She put her hand on her hips. "Here Cole, let me take a couple of those bags."

"No!" Aaron quickly took an armful and then led Cole to the counter to put the others down. "You are resting. Remember what the doctor said."

"I know what she said, but I need to do something, I'm going crazy sitting here all day." She pouted a little.

"It's only for a little while longer." He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Please. I would hate for something to happen to either of you."

"He does have a point." Cole said, out of breath. "You need to slow down boss."

She turned to face her bodyguard and assistant. "You too?"

"I'm paid to keep you safe and happy. That means no hospitals until that baby is ready to come into this world." He smiled. The Texan charm was seeping through.

Mac crossed her arms over her bulging belly. "Fine, you both win." She turned to Aaron. "FYI, I wasn't carrying anything." She pointed to Cole. "He was."

"I can see that love." Aaron wrapped his arms around his wife. "But please, promise me that you're going to start taking it a little easier. It's not good for you or baby. You don't want to have him as a preemie."

Mac let his words sink in. "Okay. You have a point. But can you bake me the cake then. I'm really craving a Devil's Food cake with Cuban filling and icing."

"I can bake the cake." Aaron said hesitantly. "But I may let you instruct me how to make the filling, because I have no idea what's in it."

"I'd do it, but I have to head out. Need to pick up my little sister from the airport." Cole nodded to his boss. "I'll be back later tonight to check in."

"No rush Cole." Mac smiled. "Have fun and I'll call if I need you."

He tipped his hat and walked out into the twilight.

"Now about that cake?" Mac smiled slyly.

"I'll get right on it. I promise." He kissed her. "First, you will go and sit down and give me instructions."

A couple hours passed, and soon, Aaron was covered from head to toe, in flour and then cake batter. Mac laughed so hard. It was the first time in a long time since the couple had laughed this much and actually enjoyed themselves.

"Okay, now you can pour the batter into the cake pans and put them in the oven." She giggled.

Aaron sighed. He was exhausted. Who thought that baking a simple cake would be so tiring? The phone rang. "I'll get it. You just get ready to teach me how to make the filling." He went into the next room to grab the cordless. "Hello, Hotchner residence."

Dave was snickering at the other end of the line. The snickering was quickly cut off by a cry of pain with Lynn scolding him. "Hi Aaron, is my sister around?"

"Ya, hang on I'll get her." Aaron handed off the phone to Mac as she passed by him on her way to grab a glass of milk. "Your sister, and she's torturing Dave."

Mac sighed. "Will you stop torturing that amazing husband of yours?"

She was interrupted by Lynn. "He's not my husband…"

"Yet!" Dave's voice came from the background followed by a "smack".

"Stop beating him up, or my husband will be leaving here to rescue him." Mac snorted. "And I can't have that happening because he's baking for me, and I need my cake."

"Ah!" Lynn smiled. "Cravings?"

Mac sighed. "Yeah. Big time. Baby is playing with me hard core. Last night it was stuffed jalapenos with raspberry sauce, tonight it's Devil's Food with the Cuban filling."

"Mom's recipe? You let Aaron try to tackle that age old, perfected delight?"

"Yep. I sat and watched him step by step." Mac giggled. "He's covered in flour and cocoa powder, but he did it right. And now he's attempting to make the filling."

"Lynn, let her off the hook so I can get her advice… I have no clue what half of these ingredients are!" Aaron spoke loudly so that his voice would carry through the receiver.

"Your husband is whiny." Lynn said. "But I love you guys, anyhow, I was calling to see what you guys were up to."

"Well, baking. Then we were going to order in and watch a movie."

"Okay, well, Dave's mom's coming over tomorrow and wants to see you guys so I was instructed to invite you to dinner."

Mac looked to Aaron. "Dinner at Dave and Lynn's tomorrow? Mama's cooking."

Aaron nodded. "As long as I don't have to go on a case."

"I'll be there no matter what, it depends if Aaron gets shipped out or not tomorrow."

"Perfect! Supper is at 6. Night sis!"

"Night." Mac hit "end" and put the phone down. "Now about that filling..."

_**The next morning…**_

"Morning Hotch." Derek said as his boss passed by. "What's got you all smiley and perky?"

"A happy wife is a happy life." He said and they continued on to the meeting room. He was carrying the special package that Mac had insisted on making for the team.

Derek just smirked and signaled everyone to gather around. "Come on guys. We got a special surprise waiting for you."

Once everyone was in the room, Aaron and JJ walked in with Reid's birthday cake. The team sang "Happy Birthday" to their youngest member.

Hotch and Gideon were discussing his wealth of knowledge when they had to put an end to the festivities to go and discuss their latest case. It was in San Diego, and it was disturbing. Hotch had a feeling that he wasn't going to be making it to Dave's tonight. He picked up the phone and called Dave. He probably should be calling Mac, but Dave was able to handle the gory details before so he could prepare Mama for the letdown of Aaron not being at supper.

"Rossi residence." A crisp voice answered. It was unfamiliar to Hotch.

"Is David there?" He asked.

"One moment. I will get Senor Dave."

Aaron had no idea that Dave had gotten a maid or housekeeper, but he'd find out soon enough.

"Rossi." Dave's voice was a little gruff.

"Dave. It's Aaron. What's with the help?"

A growl came over the receiver. "Don't even get me started." Dave seemed a little miffed at having someone else in his home.

"Pissed are we?"

"My publisher thinks I need a housekeeper so that I can focus on writing and my 'fling', as they called Lynn will take a hike."

"Uh huh." Aaron shook his head. He felt sorry for Dave's publisher. "I'm calling about supper tonight."

"You've got a case."

"Yeah, someone the locals have started calling the Tommy Killer." Aaron sighed. "He glues the victims eyes open after he rapes and kills them."

"Well, you have fun with that, and I'm going to be surrounded by a bunch of cackling hens."

"What do you mean?" Hotch had an idea, but he would rather hear it from Dave.

Dave's voice changed from gruff to whiny. "I'll be the only man in the house, all my brothers-in-law are busy, so it'll be my mother, sisters, Lynn and Mac with me. No way am I going to survive the night."

Hotch sighed. "Deal with it. You're the Italian Stallion. You'll live. I have to call Mac. Pick her up and have her stay with you guys til I come home. Her assistant is busy getting his sister settled in and I don't want her to go into labour without me around, or preferably I'd rather not have her go into labour when she's alone at home."

"I understand. I'll keep an eye on her, but with the number of women that'll be around tonight, I think she's safe."

Hotch hung up. He grabbed his cell and dialed Mac while on the go.

_Hotchner Residence…_

Mac was a little disappointed that Aaron had to head to the other side of the country but she understood the job. She rubbed her belly. "Your daddy is a brave man." Since Aaron had suggested that she stay with Dave and Lynn until he returned, she went to pack a small bag. She knew that maybe it was pointless, since Lynn insisted on constantly having a small wardrobe for her in the guest suite at Dave's. She packed a few things and then waited for her ride to arrive.

She was getting a little tired now… baby was putting a lot of pressure on her. The doctor was worried about blood pressure or some such thing. She was about 3 weeks away from her due date now and she couldn't wait. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying the pregnancy. She loved feeling new life growing inside her, but she was having difficulty dealing with the constant need to pee and back pain. She was lost in thought when the doorbell rang. She slowly got up and waddled over to open the door. Dave was standing on the doorstep.

"Hey Mac." He hugged her gently. "Ready to go?"

She nodded. "Did he say if it was bad?" She hadn't gotten to ask Aaron had bad this case was.

"He made me promise not to tell you. He doesn't want you upset."

She sighed. "He can't protect me forever."

"He'll try." He helped her into the car where Lynn was waiting.

"Are you under an oath of silence too sis?" Mac asked.

Lynn glared at Dave and nodded. "Sadly yes. And for this I'm in complete agreement with Aaron. You need to rest. Baby is due soon, and I don't like the idea of my sister going into premature labour because her husband's work upsets her."

Mac had to admit they were all making a good case. Baby was important and the longer he or she was inside, the less likely he or she would have complications during delivery. "Okay. Okay. I'll rest. So what are we going to be up to for this visit?" She forced a smile.

"You can help me prevent Dave from killing the new help, or you can stop me from killing his publisher and agent." Lynn smiled.

"Uh huh. What's going on?" Mac was now more interested in her sister's life than what was going on in her own.

"Dave's publisher and agent seem to think I'm just a fling." Lynn spat. She was pissed and Mac could tell.

"Okay."

Dave began to fill in the blanks. "With that, they figure that hiring new help in my house will chase her out. They think Lynn is the reason my next book isn't ready."

"That's a bunch of bullshit!" Mac shouted. She startled everyone, including herself.

"I guess we know whose side your sister is on." Dave laughed.

"I guess we'll be trying to stop Mac from killing your publisher and agent in a hormonal fit." Lynn laughed.

This lightened to mood. They stopped halfway to Dave's to have a picnic lunch and for Mac to stretch her legs. Doing that was essential to keeping her healthy and reduced the risk of blood clots from forming. Soon enough they were at Dave mansion and Mac fully understood why Lynn hated the new help. The woman was enough to drive Mac insane. She was nosy and fluttering everywhere. Mac was tempted to call Penelope and have her send a SWAT team over to get rid of her. Dave finally managed to have her leave for the night. He later went to his office to call his agent to have her removed.

Lynn and Mac set about to some baking. Mac sat on one of the bar stools as to not be on her feet too long. Two hours, 5 dozen cookies and two angel food cakes later, Dave returned. He looked at his watch. "How long was I gone?"

"Long enough for us to bake all of this." Mac snickered.

He shook his head. "I see that. What's all this for?"

"Pregnancy cravings." Lynn smiled. "I plan to keep my sister happy."

Mac smiled and took a bite out of a peanut butter oatmeal cookie. "Did you manage to fix the house keeper issue?"

Dave nodded. "Finally."

"And?" Lynn prodded.

"I can't get out of having one… but I do get to pick the one I want." He smiled. "Well more like Lynn gets to choose."

"Why me?" Lynn cocked her head to the side.

"Because you're the lady of the house. You choose what goes on. I trust your judgment."

"Thanks hun!" Lynn wrapped her arms around Dave's neck and smiled. "Is she just supposed to be a house keeper or cook too."

"What ever you want her to do."

"I still want to cook sometimes, but I think having someone that can cook the rest of the time would make life so much easier."

He kissed her. "Then that's what you'll put on the list of what we're looking for then you can do the interviews."

Mac was envious, not that Lynn was with someone of wealth, but that he didn't have to go away all the time. Lynn looked to her sister. She could see the pain in Mac's eyes. Mac missed Aaron and it was hard. Lynn couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Her sister was going to be a mother. She thought back to the child she lost protecting her sister. Life sucked. She hugged her sister and told her they should call it a night so they could be rested for their day out the next day.

_**A week later…**_

Aaron was happy to be home. They'd gotten the Tommy Killer. It had been a rough case, but at least they'd saved the last victim. He couldn't wait to get home to Mac. She missed him and he missed her. He was tired of missing a lot of this pregnancy. He hoped another case wouldn't be around for a while. He wanted to enjoy this time with his wife. He hurried off the jet and headed to pick Mac up from Dave's. Upon arrival, he saw a new car in the driveway. He wondered if Dave was spoiling Lynn again. He rang the doorbell. Suddenly a man Hotch had never seen answered the door.

"Can I help you?"

Hotch was a little surprised. Last he checked, he didn't have a butler. "I'm Aaron Hotchner."

"Ah, yes!" He stepped back from the door to let Aaron in. "I was told you were coming to get Miss Mackenzie."

"My wife." Aaron nodded. _Who was this guy?_ "Who are you?"

"That is my new housekeeper, chef, and Lynn's bodyguard/chauffer." Dave sighed. "Aaron meet Alec. Alec meet Aaron Hotchner."

Alec held out his hand. "Pleasure. I'll go let the ladies know you've arrived." He walked off and Aaron couldn't help but to stare.

"What the fuck Dave?" Aaron looked to his oldest friend. "I thought your housekeeper was a woman last week."

"She was." Dave shook his head. "I got rid of her and my publisher decided to let me choose who my next one was. I let Lynn choose as long as she was comfortable with the person. She chose Alec with your wife."

"I can only imagine why." Aaron smiled. "He looks like he came out of an underwear ad."

Dave sat down and put his head in his hands. "She's doing it to torture me."

"No. I'm doing it because I don't trust any other woman than your mother, sisters and my sister in our home and kitchen." Lynn's voice quipped.

Dave sighed again. "And there's that."

Lynn hugged Aaron. "Mac's coming. She just needed to go to the little girl's room."

"Thanks for watching out for her." Aaron turned to his friend and his sister-in-law. "It means a lot."

"We know. As long as we get to meet baby the day he or she is born, we're thrilled to watch her any day or night." Lynn laughed. "Hey Mac, look your hubby's home!"

Mac almost threw herself at her husband. She'd missed him so much in the week he'd been gone. "I missed you!" She kissed him deeply.

He smiled. "I missed you too." He knelt down and put his head to her very prominent belly. "I missed you too baby." He got a reply with a gentle kick to his cheek. "I think she missed me."

Mac giggled. The baby was very active now. "I still say it's a he."

"Stop arguing." Dave laughed. "As long as the baby is healthy, that is all that matters."

"Are you ready to go?" Aaron kissed Mac's forehead.

"It's late. Stay here the night and rest." Dave offered.

Mac nodded. "You've got to be tired, Aaron. Stay, then we can actually enjoy a wonderful breakfast from Alec."

Aaron had to admit the exhaustion was hitting him hard. "Sure why not."

_**The next morning…**_

Aaron awoke feeling refreshed for the first time in a whole week. He saw that Mac was already awake and had left. He could hear the shower running in the en suite bathroom. He snuck into the bathroom quietly. He stepped into the shower as Mac sang the chorus of "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes. He wrapped his arms around her. She jumped slightly and turned around.

"Did anyone ever tell you how great you sing?" He whispered in her ear.

She shook her head. "I generally don't sing in front of an audience."

"Well, I think it will be much easier to put baby to sleep with that angelic voice of yours."

She blushed. He thought it was the most beautiful think in the world. He kissed her. The kiss turned to more as they enjoyed a passionate morning shower love making session.

An hour later, they finally joined Dave and Lynn in the large open space kitchen for breakfast.

"I thought maybe you two had forgotten where the kitchen was." Lynn snickered.

Mac shot daggers at her. "Mind your business."

Alec appeared with four plates filled with omelettes, toast, hashbrowns and fresh fruit. "No more arguing. Enjoy your breakfast."

They sat and enjoyed the feast. Aaron had to admit that his cooking was amazing.

"So, Dave, you enjoying your own personal chef?" Aaron asked. He had his suspicions about this Alec. Not that he was a bad guy, but that he probably wasn't who Dave expected him to be.

"I do, but he doesn't cook all the time. Lynn still cooks too."

Alec reappeared to clean the table. "I would never remove a talented woman like Miss Lynn from the kitchen. I would love to work with her though."

"Thank you Alec." Lynn smiled sweetly. "It's a pleasure to have you here. Hopefully, the renos in the guest house will be done soon enough that you can move in here instead of having to commute so much."

He smiled. "Don't worry. Kelly doesn't mind driving me around."

"Kelly is your girlfriend?" Dave asked.

Alec laughed. "No, Kelly is my boyfriend." He walked of the room.

The whole table broke out in to laughter and poor Dave never knew what hit him.

_**This is the end of this chapter. I hope you've enjoyed it. The addition of Alec is in no way intended to insult or hurt any one. I just wanted to try something new and the addition of Alec was way out of my normal writing. I hope you've enjoyed this again, and I do apologize for the long interval of time but I started teaching this past fall and it really took a toll on my writing time. Lots of love!**_

_**Nicole**_


	22. It Won't Be Like This For Long

_**Hey all! It's been a long time, but I finally have a new chapter. Falls in with episode : Broken Mirror from season 1. Mac is due any time now, and we see how she and her sister grow in this time together. As always, don't own any of the characters (except my own OCs), plotline (except the add-ons for my OCs) or anything else. Please forgive the delay with this chapter. I'll try to update more frequently now that my life is somewhat more stabilizes. Please enjoy and as always, read and review please!**_

Mac tossed and turned as she tried to get comfortable, but it wasn't easy with Aaron being away. The contoured body pillow wasn't helping either. Baby Hotchner could arrive any day and she would be thrilled. Mac sighed, finally giving up that she wasn't going to be getting much sleep anyhow, and headed to the living room to watch some TV. As she turned on the TV, the phone rang. She jumped. Looking at the clock, she was wondering who on earth would be calling at this time of the night.

"Hello?"

"Mac?" Aaron's voice was filled with concern.

"Hey babe." She sighed. "Big case?"

Aaron's voice was tense. "Yes. We just landed in Connecticut. I don't know how long we'll be here. This one's going to have a lot of press coverage because of who's involved."

Mac knew not to ask too many questions. "Be safe."

"Always. How come you're not sleeping?"

"Baby won't let me get comfortable."

"The pillow doesn't help?"

Mac giggled. "Nope. Baby just kicks at it. I think baby misses having daddy around."

"I miss both of you too." Another voice, barely audible came through the receiver. "I have to go. Things aren't looking good. I'll call you when I can, and please try to get some sleep."

"I will. I love you Aaron."

"Love you too Mac." The line disconnected.

Mac sighed and rubbed her very pronounced baby bump. "Daddy will be home soon. Just ease up a bit so mommy can sleep too." As she rubbed her belly she hummed a lullaby that her parents used to sing to her. She didn't remember all of the words but the melody was there and soon enough, Baby stopped moving and seemed to be at peace. Mac left the TV on, curled up with her blanket and finally dozed off.

As soon as Aaron hung up the phone, he turned to Morgan. "I have one more call to make. You drive." He tossed him the keys and hit speed dial for Dave, hoping his best friend would still be awake.

The phone rang and rang until finally a familiar voice answered it.

"Buongiorno! Aaron, how are you?" Dave's mother greeted him.

"Buongiorno Mama, is David around?"

"Si! Si! Davey is here somewhere. I came by to check on the garden because I could not sleep." Her thick accent made the very simple phrase seem slightly comical. "Hang on, I call for him."

Aaron tried not to laugh when Mama Rossi yelled into the receiver and probably throughout the entire mansion in Italian for Dave to answer the phone. It seemed like a long time before Dave actually picked up.

Sounding winded Dave grunted, "What?"

"It's Aaron."

Dave's tone of voice changed. "Oh, hi."

"What's going on? It sounds like you just ran the 4-40."

"No, I was having a heated debate with Lynn and Alec about the kitchen and trying to convince Alec to move into the guest house before my sisters and mother move into it."

"I see. I'm in Connecticut."

"Ah, another case. You know you'll need to take time off once that little one makes an appearance."

"Yes, I know but that's not for another two weeks, fingers crossed."

"Babies come when they're darn good and ready."

Aaron sighed. "Okay. Can you guys keep an eye on her, either at your place or mine?"

"Of course we will. If Lynn found out Mac was alone and you didn't tell us, I think you'd have the BAU investigating your own death."

"Haha." Aaron snorted sarcastically. "If something changes, let me know."

"Will do. Be safe out there."

Aaron disconnected the call. Rossi was sure in a foul mood whenever it came to the kitchen in his place. He'd have to solve that mystery another day. He looked over to see Derek constantly looking between himself and the road.

"Trouble in paradise?" He asked.

Aaron shook his head. "Not trouble per se. Dave's got issues going on at home and I need them to keep an eye on Mac."

"You worried baby will come sooner than planned?"

"A little. My job's hard on her, which can lead to complications with the pregnancy."

"Everything will be fine. If it's too much for Dave and Lynn, maybe Garcia could help out."

"We need Garcia when we're out in the field, Derek."

Derek nodded, "I know, but she is Mac's cousin. We know how much thicker blood is."

"Lynn is her sister, but if it's too much, I will call Penelope. I just don't want to lose her as an asset to us when we're in the field either." Aaron sighed. This was going to be a long case. He prayed that he'd be able to focus 100% on this case and not let his mind wonder to his wife and unborn child as to jeopardize this missing girl.

Mac woke up to a very active baby playing kick ball with her bladder. She waddled to the bathroom. On her way back she could hear sounds coming from the kitchen. She very carefully grabbed a vase that was in the hallway and tried to hear who had broken into their home. She thought to herself, _"Why didn't I grab my damned cellphone?!"_

She walked into the kitchen ready to attack whomever was in there only to stop in her tracks and see Lynn and Alec sorting through her kitchen cabinets.

"What on earth are you guys doing here?"

Lynn was giggling and Alec turned 50 shades of embarrassed.

"Sorry Miss Mackenzie." Alec stuttered. "Your husband phoned and told us you'd be alone, and Miss Lynn was not going to let you stay alone, so she used her key to get us in. We were trying to surprise you with a little midnight snack."

"Oh." Mac was at a loss for words. "I appreciate the snack, but you guys couldn't have given me a little warning? Pretty sure surprising a pregnant woman could send her into premature labour."

Lynn stopped in her tracks. "Shit, didn't think of that. Sorry." She finally found what she was looking for and shook a small amount into the bowl that was behind her on the counter. She spun around and smiled. "Salted caramel corn. I just came up with the perfect recipe and Aaron mentioned that you've have this craving for caramel for a while."

Mac put her hands on her hips. "He has a big mouth." She tried to pout but it was basically impossible not to break out in a fit of laughter.

They trio calmed down and sat in the living room and nibbled on the very delicious snack.

"Where's Dave?" Mac asked licking the caramel from her index finger.

"Dealing with arranging for me to move into the guest house." Alec piped up.

Mac turned to Lynn with raised eyebrows.

Lynn sighed. "If he doesn't live there, Mama Rossi is going to move in there and Dave isn't really a fan of having his mother live with us."

"I see." Mac had to refrain from snickering. "Well will he be coming eventually?"

Lynn nodded. "Eventually. I think he's getting bored of sitting at home writing. There's only so much I can do to distract him." She said with seductive undertones.

Mac gagged and Alec looked at her in shock.

"What?! I'm practically married to the man."

"If you'd stop being so stubborn, you probably would be married to him." Mac snickered.

Lynn jokingly tossed a pillow at Mac. "I'm not stubborn." She pouted.

Alec began to choke on his popcorn. Mac laughed and Lynn glared. "I'm not stubborn!"

Dave's deep voice broke through the laughter. "Who's the one judging that?"

Lynn jumped. "When did you get here?"

"Right around the time you started arguing with your sister that you are not stubborn."

"But I'm not."

Mac slowly got to her feet. "Alec, come with me to the kitchen. We'll make more snack and let these two argue on how stubborn each one is."

Alec followed behind. He surely didn't want to pick sides with his employers.

With Mac and Alec out in the kitchen, Dave asked. "What's this about practically being my wife?"

Lynn's jaw dropped. "I didn't think you'd heard that."

"I heard most of that part of the discussion."

Lynn didn't know what to say. She never pushed the subject with him because it was touchy. "I blurted it."

"I know." He sat on the couch and pulled her to him. "I've never said I didn't want to get married."

"But you've been married three times already."

"So?"

"You'd really risk it again?"

"You're worth the risk Aislynn. You always have been." He kissed he jawline gently.

"You haven't used my full name in so long." She kissed his lips ever so gently.

"I use it when I mean what I'm talking about. I'm serious about the possibility of getting married again."

"What would your family think?" Lynn was suddenly over-thinking the situation.

"I really could care less. Mama and my sisters adore you, my nieces and nephews love you. My brothers-in law think you've straightened out my playboy ways. What else could a man ask for?"

Lynn had never thought about it like that. What could she say or do? Hell she didn't even know if he was popping the question right there or if they were just talking about it.

Dave tilted his head. "Baby, you okay?"

"I am. Just at a loss for words." She swallowed, but it didn't help the dryness in her throat.

"If I were to ask you…"

"I'd say yes… but the question is, are you asking me now?"

Dave suddenly realized he didn't know if he was asking now or if he wanted to go buy a ring and do it the right way. "Let's think about it, but I promise you, I am never leaving you for anyone else. As far as I'm concerned, we're in this for life, I just haven't made it official yet." He pulled her in close and kissed her fully on the lips.

The passion in his words and his kiss brought Lynn to her knees. She blushed.

"Get a room you two!" Mac giggled from the entryway.

The two broke apart. "How long have you been standing there?" Lynn asked.

"Long enough to start thinking about planning another wedding!" Mac snickered. Suddenly she grabbed her belly and groaned.

"Mac! What's wrong?!" Dave exclaimed.

"I don't know. Baby just gave me a swift kick but it was stronger than normal." She tried to stand straight again, but the pain came again.

Dave looked to Lynn. "Call Penelope, have her get a hold of Aaron." He then scooped Mac up and started carrying her to the car. "Alec, get the door for me! We're taking her to the hospital." Dave said a silent prayer that this baby wasn't coming and that Aaron would be home when he or she decided to make their grand entry into this world.

_**Meanwhile in Connecticut…**_

Aaron was in the middle of negotiating with a colleague who had turned out to be the obsessive UNSUB. He phone began to vibrate. Fearing it was concerning Mac and his unborn child, he reached for it, but realized that he couldn't give up on trying to get these girls back to their father. He continued to focus on the case and prayed that Mac was alright…

"Damn it Hotch!" Rossi spat.

"What's wrong?!" Lynn demanded.

"Phone goes straight to fucking voicemail!" Dave was livid. Finally it came to him. "Call Penelope."

Lynn hit speed-dial and prayed their cousin would answer.

"Office of the all-seeing, what can I tell you about the future?" She answered with a peppy tone.

"Where's Aaron?" Lynn snapped. She hadn't meant it in that tone, but with the seriousness of the situation there wasn't much choice.

"Lynn? What's going on? You're not usually this snippy."

"I need to get a hold of him. It's Mac."

Penelope's tone changed. "What's happened?"

"She's getting sharp pain. I think she's going into labour. Aaron's not answering. We're taking her in now."

Penelope took note of the hospital they were headed to and swore to get a hold of Aaron. She was pissed. "Damn it boss man! You need to answer your phone." She tried and tried again praying that he'd eventually pick up.

_**Connecticut….**_

The girls were home safely and the Bureau would have a mess to cleaning up the repercussions of one of their agents but at least the girls were safe. He checked his phone. "Holy shit!" He exclaimed.

Elle looked to him. "What's up Hotch?"

"A bunch of missed calls." He was about to dial Mac when another call came through. "Penelope?"

"Oh thank God! I've been trying to get a hold of you all night." Her voice was filled with frustration and desperation.

"What's going on?"

"Mac. Lynn and Dave took her to the hospital. They think she's in labour."

Aaron's heart sank. "No."

"I haven't heard anything since they got her there. I think you need to get back here, STAT!" She was panicked now.

"I'm on my way." He asked Gideon to grab his go bag from the hotel and explained quickly what was happening. He arranged a flight back home and prayed he wouldn't be too late. He just hoped that it was false labour and that baby would still be another couple weeks away.

_**The Hospital….**_

"Where is he?!" Lynn was pacing as if she were the expectant father.

"Penelope said he was on the plane back. He'll be here." Dave tried to calm her, but it wasn't working one bit.

Lynn stopped pacing. "I should go check on her."

Dave wrapped his arm around her. "The doctors are taking great care of her, and annoying them every 2 minutes is only going to get us banned from the hospital."

"But, but, but…"

"No buts." He pulled her to hip lap. "Sit. As soon as there's news, they will tell us."

Just as she lay her head on Dave's shoulder, a nurse appeared. "Mackenzie Hotchner?"

Lynn bolted and knocked Dave out of his seat. "I'm her sister."

The nurse was cheerful. "She's all set up now. Contractions are still quite a while apart, She's resting and she'd like to see you. Try to keep her breathing calm and don't let her move around too much, it'll disrupt the monitors." She led Lynn, with Dave in tow.

Dave prayed Aaron showed up soon, because he wasn't sure on how much more mothering he could take. He understood that as excited as Lynn was to meet her new niece or nephew, she was also hurting. She still felt the pain of the loss of their child. He stopped as he got to the room. He'd let her have some time alone with Mac first. He'd wait by the door so if Aaron showed up, he'd be able to find them.

"Mac! Oh my god! Are you okay? Is baby okay!?" Lynn rambled.

Mac nodded. "We're fine. We'll be even better when Aaron gets here." She winced as another contraction washed over her.

"Are the contractions too much?"

"Not yet. They said we'd talk about an epidural in a couple hours. They said first time babies take the longest to make appearance." She readjusted herself a little. "Is Aaron on the way?"

Lynn nodded. "Penelope got a hold of him. He hopped on the plane. He'll be here soon."

They sat and chit chatted while Lynn did her best to help Mac breathe through contractions.

Aaron rushed out of the plane and through the airport. He was frantically searching for a cab. Finally he heard a very familiar voice.

"Sir! Over here!" Penelope was bouncing up and down.

Aaron rushed to her. "Penelope please tell me you're here to drive me to the hospital?"

She nodded. "As soon as you were on the plane, I was here." She grabbed his go bag and put it in the back seat. "She's okay. Labour's going slow and Lynn's with her."

Aaron hopped in the front seat. "Drive, and don't stop for anything."

They arrived at the hospital and Aaron bolted from the door. He wasn't missing the birth of his child. Mac needed him. He flew to the admitting desk. "I'm looking for my wife. Mackenzie Hotchner. She's having a baby."

That admitting nurse smiled. "Congratulations! Labour and delivery is on the 5th floor. Hang a left. The nurse there will be able to tell you exactly where she is."

Hotch booked it up the stairs. He was almost breathless by the time he got there. He ran left and almost crashed into a nurse. "Sorry!"

She smiled. "First time daddy?"

He nodded. "My wife is Mackenzie Hotchner."

She looked at the board that was behind the nursing station. "Follow me."

It was the first time since Aaron had gotten the call that Mac was in labour that Aaron walked anywhere. He saw Dave sitting outside a room. He thanked the nurse. He jogged to Dave. "How is she?"

"She'll be glad to know you're here. Lynn is mothering her and harassing doctors. I think next time you two plan a baby, you take time off closer to the due date."

Aaron hugged the older man and quietly slipped into the room. He saw Mac. She looked good. Lynn was there, coaching her breathing. Mac turned and saw him.

"You're here!" She wanted to bolt out of the bed, but being 9 months pregnant and in full labour, that wasn't going to happen. Lynn got up and walked to her brother-in-law.

"Thank God! Take care of her. I need Dave to massage my hand." She whispered.

Aaron kissed her on the cheek and thanked her again. He walked to Mac's side and took her hand while gently kissing her forehead. "I'm so sorry."

"You were doing your job." She smiled, then groaned as a contraction washed over her. They were getting closer together.

He tried to remember what they had learned in their breathing classes and helped her breathe. "How close together are they?"

"Every 3 or 4 minutes now. When they started, they were 15 minutes apart." She breathed a sigh of relief when the contraction was over.

He kissed her. "I should've stayed home."

"You had no way of knowing that baby was going to make an appearance tonight."

A few more hours passed. They came to do the epidural. Labour was long but progressing. By 2 am, she was ready to push. She knew it was hard on Lynn, but she wanted to be alone with Aaron during the delivery process. They brought in the baby warmer and blankets. She knew it was time.

Lynn paced outside in the waiting area.

"Lynn, please sit." Dave urged. "You've been going for over 30 hours straight now."

"I'm worried for her. What if something happens?"

"The best doctors and nurses in D.C. are in there with her, as well as her FBI husband. I know she'll be fine. You need to relax."

"It's hard." She bit back a sob.

"Lynn, we will have a baby. I promise. Just be patient." He rubbed her back as she nuzzled against him.

"That could've been us." She whimpered.

His heart hurt. Not just for her, but it brought back the loss he and Caroline had suffered too, all those years ago. He wanted to be a father and he would be, one day. "I know mi amor, I know." A tear slid down his cheek. This was going to be a hard adjustment, but Aaron had been through hell, as had Mac, so they deserved it. This was just a trial, and they were going to get through it.

A tiny cry broke the silence. They looked to each other. A few moments later, Aaron walked out of the delivery room. "I'm a dad. We have a son." Tears of joy were streaming down his face.

Lynn squealed. "I have a nephew!" She ran to hug Aaron. "Where is he?"

"The nurses are cleaning him up. He's perfect. I'll bring him out when I can." He hugged Lynn and Dave and headed back into the delivery room.

Lynn smiled. Despite the pain that she felt for the loss of her child all those months ago, she was thrilled that Mac had had a safe and healthy delivery. She smiled a million-watt smile as Aaron re-emerged with a tiny bundle wrapped in blue in his arms.

Aaron cooed to his new son. He was soundly asleep and all bundled up warmly. He knew this was difficult for them, but the smile on Lynn's face said she was up for it. "Here is your nephew." He gently laid the baby in her cradled arms.

"Have you two picked a name yet?" Dave asked, peering over Lynn's shoulder.

"We're stuck on two. We'll decide tomorrow before we have to leave." Aaron beamed. "He's healthy and Mac had little no issues. She's just tired. The docs are just tidying up, then we can all go in there."

Lynn whispered something softly to the baby. "He's beautiful. You two will make amazing parents."

"I think I need to get some time off to help Mac around the house first." Aaron grinned.

"Will Strauss let you take some time off?" Dave asked as Lynn gently placed the baby in his arms.

"She'd better." Lynn muttered.

Aaron had to laugh. "It's above her head. It's the director's decision. I think it won't be too much of a problem. Considering the case we just finished." He smiled. "Plus, I think I've banked enough vacation time to spend a little time with my wife and son." He looked to Lynn. "Are your parents on the way?"

She nodded. "They'll be here in the morning. What about yours?"

Aaron never spoke of his parents. "My brother Sean is going to come by the house tomorrow once we're home. I haven't spoken to our parents since the wedding, and I really don't want them around Mac or the baby."

Dave knowing Aaron's family life totally understood that. "Perfect."

They were soon ushered back into Mac's room. Aaron had taken the baby back and handed him to his mother. Mac was whispering to her son.

"He's perfect." She sighed.

"How are you feeling?" Lynn asked.

"Great." Mac grinned. "the delivery was smooth so I can go home tomorrow, once we give this little guy a name."

"What names are you stuck on?" Dave asked.

"Jack or Peter." Aaron sighed.

"I still really like Jack." Mac smiled. "Are you a Jack?"

The baby stirred slightly.

"I guess that answers it." Aaron laughed. "Jack Hotchner."

Dave and Lynn left a short while later, and Aaron and Mac enjoyed some quiet time with their son. All was right in the world.


End file.
